Highland Bridge - Denver, CO
Posted by: 
Outspoken1
N 39° 45.460 W 105° 00.521
13S E 499256 N 4400861
Highland Bridge over I-25 connecting the Highland Neighborhood to Central Platte Valley and Downtown Denver
Waymark Code: WM31PA
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 01/26/2008
Views: 100
The $5.2 million Highland Bridge over Interstate 25 opened December 16, 2007. The bridge replaces the old 16th Street viaduct that was torn down in 1993. Its gleaming white, triple rib steel architecture certainly fits the need for drama. Three steel ribs arch 70 feet above the ground and span 320 feet over the highway. Asymmetric cables offer a sweeping support system for the suspended bridge deck. Bicyclists highlighted the need for one element that would prove critical to the urban design concept: vertical circulation area to traverse a 13-ft change in grade from the structure deck down to the existing Platte Street elevation. The need for long ramp access, in addition to stair access, drove the design toward an architecturally sophisticated and urban solution.
The project was funded by Denver, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the Regional Transportation District and a grant from the Federal Highway Administration. CDOT is taking the lead on the project, with Carter & Burgess designing the bridge. Hammon Constructors of Denver built the bridge.
I had wanted to walk across this bridge as I watched the progress of the construction for the past year. I finally had a few hours one afternoon while I was in the area to visit this bridge. Coordinates are from the east entrance of the bridge, where I took the initial pictures. I crossed the bridge with traffic whizzing under at 55-65 MPH. The large trucks 'suck' the bridge similar as when you pass one on the freeway in your car. The bridge is very, very noisy--something I had expected, but not to the volume I experienced. I know the bridge is safe, but I did not enjoy being on it watching the traffic knowing if anything bad happened, I would end up like a smashed squirrel on the road. The architecture of this bridge compliments the Platte River Pedestrian Bridge and the Millennium Bridge; a series of three bridges that allow pedestrians, cyclists ,etc., to walk from westerly Denver areas into downtown Denver (and vice-versa).