Sundial Bridge
at Turtle Bay, Redding
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Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay, Redding
Photo courtesy of Turtle Bay Exploration Park
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Searching for just the right design to link the north and
south campuses of Turtle Bay Exploration Park and to serve
as a new downtown entrance for Redding's extensive Sacramento
River Trail system, the city fathers turned to the local McConnell
Foundation for the funding and a renown Spanish-born architect
for the vision for the Sundial Bridge.
The $19.7 million Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay opened July
4, 2004, and has been a classic magnet for visitors and residents
alike. The unique pedestrian bridge was designed by Santiago
Calatrava, a Spanish-born architect and engineer who specializes
in New Urbanism concepts. Calatrava said the bridge resembles
a bird in flight and symbolizes the overcoming of adversity
while celebrating human creativity and ingenuity. This is
Calatrava's first free-standing bridge in the United States.
The bridge's pylon acts as a sundial, telling time on a tile
covered garden border on the north side. The bridge is environmentally
sensitive to its river setting. Its tall pylon and cable stays
allow the suspension bridge to avoid the nearby salmon-spawning
habitat. Several fly fishing publications and professional
guides have rated this area of the Sacramento River one of
the 10 best tail water fisheries in the world.
"It's the creation of a landmark,
and that's not so easy to do anymore. I think people
will see this as above and beyond the normal challenge
a municipality would take on, particularly a community
of our size."
-Bob Warren, tourism officer,
Redding Convention and Visitors Bureau
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In addition to being a functional work of art, the Sundial
Bridge is a technical feat as well. The cable-stayed structure
has an inclined, 217-ft. pylon constructed of 580 tons of
steel. The deck is made up of 200 tons of glass and granite
and is supported by more than 4,300 ft. of cable. The structure
is stabilized by a steel truss, and rests on a foundation
of more than 115 tons of steel and 1,900 cu. yds. of concrete.
Due to the sensitivity of the riparian site, steel for the
bridge was prefabricated at USI, a steel yard in Vancouver,
Wash. A total of 18 40-ft. deck sections and 25 truck loads
of pylon pieces were transported from Vancouver to Turtle
Bay.
Kiewitt Pacific performed the erection of the cable-stayed
segmental steel truss and massive steel pylon.
The Development Team
Owner: Turtle Bay Exploration Park, City of Redding
Architect: Santiago Calatrava
Project management: Omni Means Ltd.
General contractor: Kiewit Pacific Co.
Engineer: Morrison Structures Inc.
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