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Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge

Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge
Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge
Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in 2024
Coordinates32°46′48″N 96°49′20″W / 32.7800°N 96.8221°W / 32.7800; -96.8221
Carries6 lanes of Spur 366
CrossesTrinity River
LocaleDallas, Texas
Characteristics
DesignCable-stayed bridge
Total length1,206 feet (368 m)[1]
Height400 feet (120 m) central arch pylon
Longest span603 feet (184 m)[2]
History
DesignerSantiago Calatrava
OpenedMarch 29, 2012; 12 years ago (March 29, 2012)[3][4]
Statistics
TollNone
Location
Map

The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge is a bridge in Dallas, Texas, that spans the Trinity River. The bridge is named for Margaret Hunt Hill, an heiress and philanthropist.[5] The bridge was constructed as part of the Trinity River Project. Designed by Santiago Calatrava, it is one of three such bridges planned to be built over the Trinity; the second, the Margaret McDermott Bridge, is completed; the third cancelled. The span parallels the Ronald Kirk Bridge, a walking bridge that was previously the Continental Avenue bridge.[6]

History

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The bridge, which opened in March 2012, is the first of a series of bridges that the office of Santiago Calatrava designed to span the Trinity River in downtown Dallas.[7] The bridge connects Spur 366 (Woodall Rodgers Freeway) in downtown to Singleton Boulevard in West Dallas.[8] Construction on the bridge began in December 2005.[9] The bridge cost $117 million to build.[10] A Dallas Morning News analysis put the project's total cost at $182 million.[11] Beginning in 2004, The Trinity Trust Foundation successfully worked to secure private funds in support of the Trinity River Corridor Project, including the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, Margaret McDermott Bridge, Ronald Kirk Bridge, trails and other components of the project.

On June 26, 2010, the signature 40-story center-support arch was topped with a central curved span, which can now be seen from many miles away in several directions.[12] The arch provides an additional feature to the Downtown Dallas skyline.

In 2012, the bridge received an Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award from the Texas section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.[13] The bridge also received a 2012 European Convention for Constructional Steelwork Award For Steel Bridges.[14]

On June 1, 2020 at approximately 9:00 PM, several hundred protesters marching on the bridge were arrested in a kettling maneuver when Dallas Police routed the protest onto the bridge, blocked in the demonstration on both sides, fired teargas and pepper balls into the nonviolent crowd, then detained all protesters on the bridge for several hours.[15] On June 4, former Dallas Police Chief U. Reneé Hall announced that the protesters would not be charged following several days of attention and backlash from community members, political figures, local news outlets, and activist groups.[16]

Architecture

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The cable-stayed bridge supports its 1,206 feet (368 m) length and 603 feet (184 m) main span with a steel arch perpendicular to the roadway and a peak height of 400 feet (122 m). An array of twisting cables connect the underside of the arch's curved pylon to the bridge's platform. Fifty-eight (58) white strands descend from the arch and secure themselves along the centerline of the platform. The 16 feet (4.9 m) diameter support is composed of 25 individual segments, secured with 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg) of bolts and additional 450 tons (408,233 kg) of concrete. The bridge provides six lanes for vehicular traffic.[10][17]

The bridge closely resembles two of three bridges constructed in 2005-2006 above the Autostrada A1 motorway and connecting roads in Reggio Emilia, Italy, that Calatrava had earlier designed.[18] In 2009, the European Convention for Constructional Steelwork gave the two bridges a European Steel Design Award, stating that the structures' original visual effects at different angles give the bridges "the aspect of huge musical instruments."[19]

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Construction in July 2010
Panoramic view of construction in July 2010.

References

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  1. ^ "Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge". calatrava.com. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge". calatrava.com. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  3. ^ Dallas Morning News Archived 2012-04-25 at the Wayback Machine - "Really This Time: Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge Celebration Set for March 2–4," June 21, 2011
  4. ^ "TxDOT: Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge won't open until late March | Dallas Morning News". Archived from the original on 2014-05-24. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
  5. ^ Jaime S. Jordan, Margaret Hunt Hill dies at 91, Dallas Business Journal, Jun 15, 2007
  6. ^ "The great white hoop: Five years of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge". Dallas News. 2017-03-24. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  7. ^ "Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge / Santiago Calatrava". ArchDaily. June 25, 2012. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  8. ^ "Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge". Trinity River Corridor Project. City of Dallas. 2015. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  9. ^ "First of Calatrava trio breaks ground in Dallas". News: Bridge design & engineering. London: Hemming Information Services. December 12, 2005. Archived from the original on March 16, 2006. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge at Structurae. Retrieved May 3, 2006
  11. ^ Michael A. Lindenberger and Jeffrey Weiss (February 21, 2012). "True cost of Dallas' Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge: $182 million". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  12. ^ (1) Dallas Morning News - "Dallas' Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge has its arch topped off". Retrieved on June 27, 2010
    (2) Clouds 365 Project- Year 2 Archived 2011-03-23 at the Wayback Machine - "3-20-11 | Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and Downtown Dallas view from Hutchins Avenue"
    (3) Clouds 365 Project- Year 3 - "11-02-11 | Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and Downtown Dallas view from Hutchins Avenue"
  13. ^ (1)"Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, 2012 OCEA". Texas Section-American Society of Civil Engineers. Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
    (2) "Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Awards". Texas Section-American Society of Civil Engineers. Archived from the original on February 18, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  14. ^ "Margaret Hunt Bridge, Dallas, USA". 2012 ECCS Award For Steel Bridges. Brussels, Belgium: European Convention for Constructional Steelwork. pp. 4–7. Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  15. ^ Howland, Jack (June 1, 2020). "Hundreds of George Floyd protesters arrested on Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  16. ^ Jaramillo, Cassandra; Norimine, Hayat (June 4, 2020). "Dallas Police Chief Reneé Hall says protesters who marched on Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge will not be charged". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  17. ^ "Santiago Calatrava: Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge". Architecture. Designboom. March 13, 2012. Archived from the original on November 22, 2012. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  18. ^ (1) "Twin Stayed Road Bridges Reggio Emilia". Milan, Italy: Redailli Tecna S.P.A. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
    (2) Rogers, Tim (June 22, 2011). "Is Our Calatrava Bridge a Copy of Reggio Emilia's?". FrontBurner. Dallas, Texas: D Magazine Partners, Inc. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  19. ^ "Three bridges in Reggio Emilia (Italy)" (PDF). European Steel Design Awards 2009. Brussels, Belgium: General Secretariat, European Convention for Constructional Steelwork. 2009. pp. 16–17. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 5, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.

Further reading

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