The NE 90th Street Bridge was presented a Merit Award (Bridge Projects) in the NCSEA Fifth Annual Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards.
NE 90th Street Bridge
Award Winning Gateway to Redmond, WA America’s national character is defined by smaller communities, each with their own distinct culture and history. The test of success for public works projects
E is often in the engineering—the ability of engineers to meet the community’s needs by combining form with function. In the case of the NE 90th Street Bridge, it has been successfully demonstrated that engineering is art, and that there can be a true integration of architecture and engineering. The City of
R Redmond is delighted that the NE 90th Street Bridge gives their community an artistic sense of pride and character.
e U C The new crossing over the Sammamish River, at NE 90th Street in
i Some of the unusual structural components of the project include:
z R Redmond, WA, acts as a gateway to the City’s downtown core. More • This is the first arch bridge in Washington constructed where the than just the construction of a bridge to create a river crossing, the City arches are out of vertical plane. The shallow concrete arches lean
T insisted that this project be a showcase for how Public Works can develop 30-degrees from vertical.
a a project that creates a sense of place, promotes a sense of pride in the • The arch supports were strategically placed at the outside edges of
S community, and provides a multi-use facility connecting the commercial the nearly 60-foot wide box girder. Placing the supports at the outside
g and light industrial areas on the west side of the river with the high- edges of the box girder increased the span of the structure between them. density residential areas on the east side. • The entire bridge was constructed without post-tensioning, saving
a Innovation was key to the success of the NE 90th Street Bridge Project. on cost and complexity. Precise three-dimensional computer renderings were created to solve • For this project, engineers specified 8,000-psi concrete. This high numerous complex geometric issues, including the integration of the strength concrete enabled the bridge to meet the architectural concept
m leaning arches with the vertically curved box girder and to assist in the without creating deflection problems, and without increasing construction of the arch forms. Advanced three-dimensional modeling member sizes and weights was also used for the structural analysis of the bridge, including shear flexible • Variable width, truss-supported sidewalks were constructed to grillage analysis and three-dimensional solid finite element analysis. Lastly, cantilever off the sides of the bridge. three-dimensional modeling was used to create isometric construction details • The vertical curvature of the bridge and roadway was minimized by of reinforcing steel placement at key locations of the arches. integrating the arches with the box girder. • Special artist-designed concrete forms were used during the Project Participants: construction of the bridge abutments and wing walls, creating wildlife Structural Engineer of Record: Entranco, Inc., Bellevue, WA scenes cast onto both. A stainless steel ribbon is also cast into the Structural Consulting: John Clark, Ph.D., P.E., Wenatchee, WA walls, indicating the water surface for the images of fish, birds, and otters. Owner: City of Redmond, WA • Special architectural lighting over the bridge was designed in an arch Architect of Record: LMN Architects, Seattle, WA shape. Extra emphasis was placed on illuminating the unique aspects Prime Contractor: Guy F. Atkinson Construction, Renton, WA of this bridge, e.g., highlighting the natural art located in the walls, and back-lighting on the arches to emphasize the slant and design Entranco, Inc., Bellevue, WA, led a multidisciplinary team through the planning, of the canted arches. design, and construction phases of the NE 90th Street Bridge Project. In addition to the overall project management, Entranco provided the structural, utility, and “Entranco was committed to the project. They believed in its importance, roadway design for this project, as well as the environmental documentation and they were invested in its success, and they understood our vision.” permitting and structural inspection of the bridge and general construction Dennis Brunelle, Project Manager assistance during the construction phase of the project. City of Redmond, Public Works Department
