Frederick Gottemoeller - Bridgescape LLC

Three historic buildings, a hotel, post office and courthouse, and a plaza used for concerts and wintertime ice skating border the site. With all of these features in mind the City of Reno appointed a historical review committee to oversee the project.

The bridge will carry two traffic lanes and two parking lanes as well as the two variable width sidewalks. The sidewalks vary in width from 12' to 19'. Allowance has been made for a future LRT line across the bridge. The arches allow a thin floor system that limits the distance that the street must be raised to three feet. The sidewalks accommodate the increase in street level by being split longitudinally. The portions adjoining the street rise with the street while the portions adjoining the buildings remain at their original elevation. Steps, ramps and low retaining walls make up the difference. On the bridge itself the sidewalks will widen as they cross the river, allowing pedestrians and bicyclists to pause and observe activities on and along the river.

The arches and floor system will be cast in place post-tensioned concrete. Tie beams for the arches are incorporated into the floor system. The rise of the arches can be kept low because the arches and floor system will gain additional stiffness from being cast monolithically with the abutment walls. Structurally the bridge is a hybrid of a tied through arch and a rigid frame. Steel cables in a fan pattern connect the arches and the tie beams. Stainless steel shields at the corners of the bridge are designed to discourage vandals from climbing the arches. Monumental lighting fixtures from the existing bridge will be reinstalled at the ends of the new bridge. The railing panels will emulate features of the art deco post office.

Mr. Gottemoeller worked with the engineering team and the historical review committee to create the architectural and structural concept that accommodates the flood flows while recognizing the historical constraints of the site. He also developed all of the architectural details and coordinated them with the landscape architect and lighting designer.

The project is being done as a design/bid/build procurement. The bridge is now under construction.