Tom Muehlenbeck Recreation Center

Technical Description:

• Width: 30 - ft.
• Span: 30 - ft.
• Style: Capstone^®
• Finish: Painted Steel
• Decking: Concrete

The city of Plano was pressed to find a site for a 79,000 square foot recreation center and when they did, the tract of land was bisected by a small creek and wetland area. The project gained community approval only when the site design placed the building where trees buffered it from the neighborhood and the creek and wetland areas were left undisturbed. To allow access to the parking area, a Contech Capstone^® style vehicular bridge was installed over the wetlands. In addition, project plans called for two pedestrian bridges to link the parking lot with the main facility. All of the bridges are clear span structures, with stone clad abutments built beyond the technical footprint of the wetland. This low impact design allowed the project to proceed quickly through the permitting process, leaving the creek area undisturbed as the City requested. “The bridges are exciting, and as you look down the parkway, they set the stage for the relationship between man and the environment” stated Mike Fraze, Principal for Mesa. “If we were to take a different design approach without the bridges, it would have dramatically changed the way it looks” According to Robin Reeves, Chief Park Planner for the City of Plano, the City and the nearby residents are very happy with the new facility and its bridges.

Technical Description:

• Width: 30 - ft.
• Span: 30 - ft.
• Style: Capstone^®
• Finish: Painted Steel
• Decking: Concrete