The Ohio River Bridges Project of Kentucky and Indiana

Step 1: Design Guidelines

In Step One, the two bridge design teams worked with the public to establish design guidelines for the new Downtown and East End Bridges. These guidelines provided a framework within which stakeholders, the general public and design engineers collaborated throughout the Bridge Type Selection Process.

Guidelines ensured the bridge architects and designers had all the information they needed to begin brainstorming on what would be appropriate in each of the two sites where new bridges will be built. In Step One, the design teams presented to the public a list of design parameters for the two bridges. Parameters are criteria that were set either through codes or standards or by previous studies such as the Final Environmental Impact Statement. Parameters included things such as span lengths, span widths, pier arrangements and cost budgets - these are some of the factors that helped determine the types of bridges that could be built.

Four bridge types - truss, cable-stayed, arch and box girder - were determined as feasible at the two bridge locations, both of which call for long-span structures.

Research and public involvement efforts in this step provided the bridge design teams with information on the cultural characteristics of each area. Context sensitive considerations included the type of architecture prevalent in surrounding buildings and neighborhoods and historical features that could be reflected in the bridge designs. Discussions with stakeholder groups and the public included environmental and historical characteristics that might be reflected in the bridge designs.

With design guidelines that were established, public feedback on aesthetic considerations was weighed carefully as the Ohio River Bridges Project moved through the Bridge Type Selection Process.

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