Technical Description:
• Continental
® Pedestrian Truss
• Span: 400 ft
• Width: 12 ft
• Style: Connector
• Finish: Painted
• Decking: Concrete
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Originally constructed in 1980, the existing structure carried pedestrian traffic over Kenduskeag Stream to West Market Square, Pickering Square, Exchange Street and the Penobscot Judicial Center. The footbridge was named in honor of Willard C. Orr, a Bangor High School graduate and the only Bangor resident killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 during World War II. He served as a Private First Class in the United States Army. At 21 years old, he was considered Missing in Action and is memorialized on the tablets of the missing at the Honolulu Memorial in Hawaii.
A study conducted in 2016 determined that the original structure had reached its life expectancy. Due to severe cracks, it was deemed structurally deficient and needed to be replaced. Part of the initial evaluation questioned whether a replacement was necessary, but in the end, it was considered an important part of the City.
In fact, Bangor City Engineer John Theriault stated, “It's a vital piece of infrastructure for the pedestrian users in the downtown area. When you're up there, you get a good view of the river and the downtown.”
After researching options, the City of Bangor and its consulting engineer, Haley Ward, Inc., decided to use a 400' x 12' Connector®-style Continental® Pedestrian Truss from Contech Engineered Solutions for its competitive cost, aesthetics, and lightweight construction which allowed for the existing abutments and piers to be reused. The bright green color of the steel is eye catching and old-fashioned looking street lamps were added to maintain the historic feel of the area. The new bridge is narrower than the old one to allow for more efficient snow removal.
Retrofitting the new structure to the existing substructure geometry created the biggest challenge of the project, but the issue was resolved with the use of a non-standard detail at the end of the abutment. Another challenge occurred when it came time to ship the five-80' long bridge sections to the site. Contech’s logistics team solved the problem by planning ahead and establishing a specific route to the site. Devoe Construction, Inc. met the trucks for the last few miles ensuring the bridge sections arrived safely through a busy downtown area with many tight turns. Once the sections arrived on site, they were installed successfully in just two days.
In the end, the Continental pedestrian bridge was the perfect solution for the site, and the City of Bangor and Haley Ward, Inc. were pleased with the outcome.
“It's been very exciting, and I think it's great for the community," concluded Peter Tuell, Senior Project Manager with Haley Ward, Inc. "The city and folks are very happy to have this operational."
Technical Description:
• Continental
® Pedestrian Truss
• Span: 400 ft
• Width: 12 ft
• Style: Connector
• Finish: Painted
• Decking: Concrete
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