City of College Park Global Gateway Connector Bridge

200-foot-long gateway arch bridge

The City of College Park, Georgia is constructing a 1.1-mile-long multi-use trail that connects the Georgia International Convention Center to Downtown College Park, located 1 mile from the west end of the runways at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The project includes a signature 200-foot-long gateway arch bridge, which will span the four-lane Camp Creek Parkway, and features an 80-foot-tall steel arch main span with custom handrail and fence. The structure’s unusual geometry, where two variable depth ribs physically intersect at their centers, are fabricated from built-up rectangular box sections composed of ¾” steel plates. The arch geometry is parabolic in shape with each rib section varying from 3.5 feet to 12 feet. The four lower fabricated sections of the arch will be joined by four complete joint penetration field welds to a upper cross-shaped center segment performed at the crown of the arch. Another unique feature of the bridge is the use of closed hollow steel sections (HSS) to make up the majority of the floor system. The bridge’s concrete deck will be suspended from the steel arch by pre-grouted ASTM A722 Grade 150 bar vertical hangers. The bridge includes other unique details including a custom steel handrail that is oriented 20 degrees past vertical away from the trail, and a series of round steel hoops along the length of the bridge. The four arch ribs rest on concrete pedestals, each supported by 12 steel H-piles.

Challenges and achievements

Consideration for the constructability of the steel arches was key to the design process from the beginning, especially since the splices could not be bolted for aesthetic purposes. The design team relied heavily on its construction and fabrication counterparts during design development to come up with a design that could be constructed during weekend road closures. The bridge is located beneath the glide path for runways at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. FAA permitting was key for both the design of the bridge and for cranes for construction. An FAA beacon is situated at the top of the arch.

Using Tekla software

We don't believe there is another comparable software capable of modeling a structure this complex.

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