Pedestrian Bridge Echoes Undulating Shapes of Tempe Environment

Tempe Town Lake Pedestrian Bridge, Tempe, Ariz.

Photo by Daniel Miller

The tensioned fabric and blue lighting compliment the lake and give the bridge added character.

Photo by Tom Paiva

The four 175,000-sq-ft arch spans were assembled using two cranes.

Connecting Tempe Town Lake's north and south banks, this elegant four-span arch pedestrian bridge was integrated with the existing piers and abutment of a dam at the reservoir. The bridge superstructure consists of two 34-ft-high steel pipe crossing arches. The concrete deck is supported on steel floor beams and stringers that are bolted to the arch. Delivery and assembly of the four 175,000-lb bridge arches occurred just downstream from the dam. The sections were lifted into place by two cranes at night to avoid thermal expansion due to the desert's high ambient daytime temperatures.

Design inspiration came from the undulating shapes of the Salt River and the geometric patterns of the adjacent Tempe Center for the Arts. The tensioned fabric and blue lighting compliment the lake and give the bridge added character.

Key Players

Contractor: PCL Construction, Tempe, Ariz.

Owner: City of Tempe, Ariz.

Lead Design: T.Y. Lin International, Tempe, Ariz.

Architect: Otak, Tempe, Ariz.

Consultants: R.A. Alcala and Associates; AMEC; PB Americas (all Tempe, Ariz.)

Steel Fabricator: Stinger Welding, Coolidge, Ariz.

Artist: Willco Art and Design, Tempe, Ariz.

Submitted by T.Y. Lin International

Blair leads day-to-day operations of the ENR editorial team to ensure brand quality and further best practices. He spearheads ENR's various competitions, including Best Projects and the Award of Excellence, and organizes editorial content at events including the Top Young Professionals conference. A Jesse H. Neal, Construction Media Alliance and AZBEES-award-winning writer and videographer, Blair frequently contributes to ENR’s burgeoning video channel with project tour videos and interviews with industry leaders. He is also a frequent speaker and moderator on topics such as diversity and inclusion, design and jobsite technology, construction means and methods and marketing.