Liberty Bridge at Falls Park on the Reedy
Encyclopedia
The Liberty Bridge at Falls Park on the Reedy is a bridge in Greenville
, South Carolina
.
containing the falls of the Reedy River
. The Liberty Bridge is located just downstream from this group of waterfalls, replacing a six-lane highway bridge that was demolished to improve the visibility and accessibility to the falls and adjacent park. The bridge has a curved clear span over the river that curves away from the falls, providing visitors with an aerial amphitheater from which to view the cascading water. The link gently slopes into the ravine and is supported by twin inclined towers and a single suspension
cable with thin cable suspenders only on the side away from the falls, allowing for unobstructed views. The bridge, with a total length of approximately 380 ft (115.8 m) and a clear span of 200 ft (61 m), appears to float over the landscape. The twin towers and suspension cable are visible from vantage points around the city, calling attention and drawing visitors to the public park, falls and river.
-based Transportation Architects Rosales + Partners, Inc. providing conceptual, preliminary, and final designs, construction services, and community participation to the City of Greenville. Rosales + Partners collaborated with structural engineers Schlaich Bergermann & Partner
.
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
.
Description
Downtown Greenville is bisected by a wooded valley parkFalls Park on the Reedy
Falls Park on the Reedy is a park adjacent to downtown Greenville, South Carolina in the historic West End district. The park was founded in 1967 when the Carolina Foothills Garden Club reclaimed of land that had been previously used for textile mills...
containing the falls of the Reedy River
Reedy River
The Reedy River is a tributary of the Saluda River, about long, in northwestern South Carolina in the United States. Via the Saluda and Congaree Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Santee River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean....
. The Liberty Bridge is located just downstream from this group of waterfalls, replacing a six-lane highway bridge that was demolished to improve the visibility and accessibility to the falls and adjacent park. The bridge has a curved clear span over the river that curves away from the falls, providing visitors with an aerial amphitheater from which to view the cascading water. The link gently slopes into the ravine and is supported by twin inclined towers and a single suspension
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
cable with thin cable suspenders only on the side away from the falls, allowing for unobstructed views. The bridge, with a total length of approximately 380 ft (115.8 m) and a clear span of 200 ft (61 m), appears to float over the landscape. The twin towers and suspension cable are visible from vantage points around the city, calling attention and drawing visitors to the public park, falls and river.
Design and construction
The Liberty Bridge was completed in 2004, with BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
-based Transportation Architects Rosales + Partners, Inc. providing conceptual, preliminary, and final designs, construction services, and community participation to the City of Greenville. Rosales + Partners collaborated with structural engineers Schlaich Bergermann & Partner
Schlaich Bergermann & Partner
Schlaich Bergermann & Partner, based in Stuttgart, Germany is a world-renowned structural engineering firm. It was founded in 1980 by Jörg Schlaich and Rudolf Bergermann.-Projects:* 1978-1992: Vidyasagar Setu , Kolkata, India...
.
Awards
- 2006 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Merit Award, American Society of Civil Engineers
- 2006 Most Distinguished Award for Excellence in Recreation and Entertainment Structures, American Galvanizing Assoc.
- 2006 Pinnacle Award for Best Project, Heavy Highway & Bridge Category, Carolinas Associated General Contractors.
- 2005 Arthur G. Hayden Medal for a single recent outstanding achievement in bridge engineering demonstrating innovation in special use bridges.
- 2005 Bridge Prize for special purpose bridges from the National Steel Bridge Alliance
- 2005 International Footbridge Award in the aesthetics category (medium span), awarded in VeniceVeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.