Bridge cradle system wins Pankow Award

A cable-stayed bridge cradle system created by Figg Bridge Engineers that allows construction of longer bridge spans was honored with the 2007 Charles Pankow Award for Innovation. Awarded by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Civil Engineering Forum for Innovation (CEFI), the Pankow Award recognizes the contribution of organizations working collaboratively to demonstrate innovative approaches to design, materials use, or the construction process.

Figg’s system was initially developed for the Ohio Department of Transportation’s I-280 Veterans Glass City Skyway, and was also used in design and construction of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory in Maine-one of the finalists for ASCE’s 2007 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award.

By allowing all strands to run parallel from the anchor at deck level through the cradle and back to deck level as primary tensile elements increases strength; the technology allows for longer, simpler, and longer-lasting bridges, as well as bridges that are easier to inspect. The cable-stayed bridge cradle also isolates strands in their own individual steel tubes, where they do not impact adjacent strands.