The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award to the builders of the Leonard B. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, an integral part of Boston's Central Artery/Tunnel Project, during its recent awards program.
The multi-billion dollar, 10-lane project--being built by HNTB Corp. and Figg Bridge Enterprises as part of the "Big Dig" project-is the widest cable-stayed bridge and was selected out of a field of seven transportation and infrastructure projects. It crosses Boston's Charles River and the accompanying four-lane Storrow Drive Connector will more than double traffic capacity along Interstate-93 and Route 1.
"Not only was the city's need for increased capacity met, but the local community has been given a new symbol of civic pride," said ASCE President Patricia Galloway. "The Zakim Bridge epitomizes the philosophy of form following function, which makes it a civil-engineering marvel."
The bridge combines steel in the main span and concrete in the back spans. Also on the bridge's list of engineering firsts is a composite concrete tower with a high-performance steel inner core, and the use of internal viscous dampers and external helical beads on the stay cables to mitigate rain and wind oscillation.