(Chicago, IL) - Thirteen amazing steel bridge projects have earned national recognition in the 2014 Prize Bridge Awards Competition. Conducted every other year by the National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA), the Prize Bride Awards recognize innovative design and engineering achievements on structural steel bridge projects throughout the country and is the highest honor bestowed on steel bridge projects by the U.S. structural steel industry. The winning bridges and their project team members were recognized on March 26 during the combined 2014 World Steel Bridge Symposium (WSBS) and NASCC: The Steel Conference in Toronto.

The awards were presented to winners in a variety of categories covering an array of project types including: Major Span; Long Span; Medium Span; Short Span; Moveable Span; Reconstructed; and Special Purpose. Recognition was also given to projects that best exemplified Accelerated Bridge Construction and Sustainability.

This year's Prize Bridge Award winners are:

  • Major Span: Shenandoah River Bridge Delta Frame, Jefferson County, W.Va.
  • Medium Span: Dixie Highway Flyover, Boca Raton/Deerfield Beach, Fla.
  • Moveable Span: Willis Avenue Bridge, New York, N.Y.
  • Reconstructed: Huey P. Long Bridge, New Orleans
  • Special Purpose: Phyllis J. Tilley Memorial Pedestrian Bridge, Fort Worth, Texas

This year's Merit Award winners are:

  • Major Span: Sakonnet River Bridge, Tiverton and Portsmouth, R.I.
  • Long Span: Iowa Falls Bridge, Iowa Falls, Iowa
  • Medium Span: North Halstead Street Tied Arch Bridge, Chicago
  • Medium Span: Ramp TE over I-95, New York, N.Y.
  • Short Span: River Road Over Ironstone Brook, Uxbridge, Mass.
  • Short Span: Dodge Creek Bridge, Elkton-Sutherlin Highway (OR138), Ore.
  • Reconstructed: Eggner's Ferry Bridge Emergency Replacement, Trigg/Marshall Counties, Ky.
  • Special Purpose: Christina and John Markey Memorial Pedestrian Bridge, Revere, Mass.

The following projects received Accelerated Bridge Construction Commendations:

  • Willis Avenue Bridge, New York, N.Y.
  • River Road Over Ironstone Brook, Uxbridge, Mass.
  • 130th Street and Torrence Avenue Railroad Truss Bridge, Chicago
  • Eggner's Ferry Bridge Emergency Replacement, Trigg/Marshall Counties, Ky.

The following projects received Sustainability Commendations:

  • Dodge Creek Bridge, Elkton-Sutherlin Highway (OR138), Ore.
  • Huey P. Long Bridge, New Orleans
  • Keene Road Bridge, Richland, Wash.

"The Prize Bridge Awards program was initiated in 1928 with the Sixth Street Bridge in Pittsburgh - now named the Roberto Clemente Bridge - which is still a landmark in the downtown area," commented Bill McEleney, managing director of NSBA. "This year's award winners follow the example of the Clemente Bridge as they utilize state-of-the-art design strategies and materials to produce economical and iconic structures which will stand for the next 100 years. These projects were selected by a jury of the designer's peers and are representative of the ability of structural steel to provide the best solution for the full range of bridge needs deserved."

Winning projects were selected based on innovation, aesthetics, and design and engineering solutions by a jury of five engineering and construction professionals: Benjamin Beerman, senior structural engineer, FHWA Resource Center; Thomas R. Cooper, P.E., P.Eng., lead structural engineer, Parsons Brinckerhoff; Robert Healy, director of structures, RK&K; Thomas P. Macioce, P.E., division chief, bridge design and technology division, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation; Bert Parker, senior vice president/chief administrative officer, Garver Engineers.

All structures were opened to traffic between May 1, 2011 and September 30, 2013.

For more information about the Prize Bridge Awards Competition, visit www.steelbridges.org/prizebridge.