Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge

Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge

Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge in Mobile, Alabama
Coordinates 30°44′00″N 88°02′34″W / 30.73333°N 88.04278°W / 30.73333; -88.04278
Carries 4 lanes of

US 90 / US 98 Truck
Crosses Mobile River
Locale Mobile, Alabama
ID number 015430
Characteristics
Design Cable-stayed bridge
Total length 7,291 feet (2,222 m)
Width 80 feet (24 m)
Longest span 781 feet (238 m)
Clearance below 140 feet (43 m)[1]
History
Construction cost $68.9 million
Opened 1991
Statistics
Daily traffic 10,800 (2009)
Toll no

The Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge carrying US 90/US 98 Truck across the Mobile River from the mainland to Blakeley Island in Mobile, Alabama.[2]

History

The Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge was completed and opened in 1991. It was named in honor of the 60-year-old vertical-lift Cochrane Bridge that it replaced, and the former community of Africatown, which once stood at the western approach to the bridge. Volkert and Associates, Inc. design for the bridge earned it the Outstanding Engineering Achievement in the U.S.A. Award from the National Society of Professional Engineers and the Award of Excellence in Highway Design from the Federal Highway Administration, both in 1992.[3] It was the first, and still the only, cable-stayed bridge in the state of Alabama. The bridge was damaged on August 29, 2005 when a 13,000 ton oil platform, the PSS Chemul, broke free from drydock and was wedged under the bridge by Hurricane Katrina.[4] Surprisingly, the bridge remained in service and continued to carry two lanes of traffic after the storm.[4]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cochrane-Africatown USA Bridge.
  1. ↑ "U.S. Coast Pilot Search". Office of Coast Survey. NOAA. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Cochrane/Africatown USA Bridge". State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame. University of Alabama, et al. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Cochrane/Africatown USA Bridge over the Mobile River, Mobile, Alabama". Volkert & Associates, Inc. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  4. 1 2 Reginald DesRoches, PhD, ed. (2007). Hurricane Katrina: Performance of Transportation Systems. Reston, VA: ASCE, TCLEE. ISBN 9780784408797.


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