After heavy rainfall in June of 2018, the former wooden pedestrian bridge in Emma McCarthy Lee Park was destroyed when flood waters ravished through Clear Creek.
WHKS provided design and construction phase engineering services for a prefabricated steel truss pedestrian bridge. The structure spans Clear Creek and provides access to the Oakland Access trail.
The bridge has a 10,000-pound vehicle load capacity and is 10-feet wide. The bridge was designed and constructed above 100-year flood levels, 4 feet above the location of the former bridge deck. The bridge was designed in accordance with Iowa DOT and SUDAS Standards.
IMPROVING LIVES, BUILDING COMMUNITIES
The City of Ames takes pride in the quality of its shared use paths and trail network. The pedestrian bridge re-established the trail connection that was lost from the northwest area of the City to the Iowa State University campus and was engineered to withstand the force of water if it ever becomes inundated.