New DeFazio Bike Bridge Uses Unique Design to Meet Community Goals

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January 11, 2 01 CONTACT: Bill Hall, OBEC Consulting Engineers, Consulting Engineers, (541) 683-6090 Tom Larsen, City of Eugene Project Liaison, (541) 682-8450 From Public I formation Section, 682-5523 FOR IMMEDI TE RELEASE I NEW DEF ZIO BIKE BRIDGE USES UNIQUE DESIGN TO MEET COMMUNITY GOALS The P ter DeFazio Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge, designed by and constructed under the supervisio of OBEC Consulting Engineers of Eugene, Oregon, provides a safe, attractive river crossing n a city that places a high value on alternative modes of transportation. The $ .8 million DeFazio bridge is a key element in a $30 million project to preserve and ,enhance the erry Street Bridge corridor, which spans the Willamette River and connects downtown Eu ene to the rapidly growing area on the north side of the river. Eugene, a city with a population f 136,800 in a metropolitan area of about 230,000 people, worked closely with OBEC, the F deral Highway Administration, and the Oregon Department of Transportation to i ensure that th project in general and the bike bridge element in particular met the community's ;I goals for safe and more efficient travel in the corridor with enhanced opportunities for bicyclists and pedestria s. Worki g with Czech bridge designer Jiri Strasky , OBEC worked under a tight deadline ~ to produce pl ns for this unique suspension bridge, which is only the second of its kind in the i world. The d sign utilizes a unique combination of cable-stayed and suspension bridge I technology c mbined with an extremely slender, segmented post-tensioned precast concrete decking syste .Other innovations include anchoring the main cables to the abutments and to the top of the "A" tower pylons with post-tensioning anchorages. This design avoided the need to place pilin or piers in the river - a high priority for Eugeneans who place a high value on the Willamette Ri~rer and its prized runs of salmon and steelhead. I