David Kreitzer Lake Hodges Bicycle Pedestrian Bridge

San Diego, Calif.

This unique bicycle/pedestrian bridge is the world’s longest stress-ribbon bridge. The stress-ribbon bridge is a type of suspension bridge with cables embedded in an ultra-thin concrete deck. This type of bridge is rare, with only six examples in North America and fewer than 50 worldwide. The stress-ribbon type was selected to minimize environmental impacts and because it works well aesthetically in both wet and dry lake conditions. Since the superstructure was constructed of precast concrete panels suspended from cables, there was no need for falsework, which could have caused sever damage to the park. The visual impact was minimized with a 16 in. deck and 330 ft spans, limiting the number of piers in the lake to two. The stress-ribbon design resulted in an economical, durable, and signature structure for the area while minimizing impacts to biological and cultural resources. This innovative precast concrete solution eliminated a 9 mi trail detour and provides a safe route for bicycle commuters.

Precaster: U.S. Concrete Inc., San Diego
Website: www.us-concrete.com

Engineer of record: T. Y. Lin International, San Diego
Website: www.tylin.com

Architect: Safdie Rabines Architects, San Diego
Website: www.safdierabines.com

Deck area: 12,180 ft²
Bridge length: 980 ft
Bridge longest span: 330 ft
Bridge width: 14 ft
Precast concrete components:
87 precast concrete panels, 29 in each span