SR 290 Trent Avenue Bridge

Last crawled date: 2 years, 10 months ago

Construction on the $10 million, award-winning, SR 290 Trent Avenue Bridge began in 2003 and was completed in April 2005. The project was initiated by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to replace a 1917 era Luten Arch structure. Officially classified as a post-tensioned, prestressed concrete, haunched box girder bridge, the main design of the approximately 500-foot long Trent Avenue Bridge was inspired by the pioneering designs of Robert Maillart (1872-1940), a famous Swiss civil engineer. Its arches symbolize the parabolic nature of motion which is a common design seen in modern highways. References to the old bridge were included in the new bridge with the decorative caps on the ends of its two bridge piers, alluding to the curvature of the old bridge’s arches. Additionally, many of the structural art details on the bridge, such as the decorative lamppost chevrons were influenced by designs of Frank Lloyd Wright who, ironically, had a favorite architect in Maillart. Because the urban setting and connecting nature of the bridge (Gonzaga and Washington State universities are connected as part of Spokane’s University District), a special emphasis was put on enhancing the pedestrian experience across the bridge which included texturizing the sidewalks, embossing a river-referencing concrete pattern in the jersey barrier, and adding four pedestrian lookout points that also incorporate benches and decorative plaques to capture the area’s heritage. #Frank_Lloyd_Wright #Gonzaga #haunched_box_girder_bridge #Luten_Arch #posttensioned #prestressed_concrete #Robert_Maillart #Spokane #Spokane_University_District #SR_290_Trent_Avenue_Bridge #Washington #Washington_State_University #WSDOT