A recent BBC Culture article gives
this Central Iowa icon, some very international attention, listing it
as one of the TOP eight AMAZING footbridges in the world!
We’re honored to be part of a team that includes Snyder & Associates, Inc. Polk County Conservation , Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, and the Iowa Department of Transportation, all contributors to this “amazing” project.
“From Here to There,” is a public art integration
designed for the High Trestle Trail Bridge through a collaboration
between RDG Dahlquist Art Studio, RDG Planning and Design, and many
other professional disciplines and contractors. The installation
represents a tour de force in the combination and coordination of art,
architecture, and engineering. The installation is the centerpiece that
connects over 600 miles of trail, making this bridge a destination icon
and new cultural landmark.
The project began with research, including hiking the banks of the
River, photography, and trips to local museums. A series of meetings in
each community along the trail provided public input and investment. A
narrative emerged, based on geology in the formation of the river valley
and local coal mining history.
48' tall precast concrete monoliths frame the gateway to the bridge.
Over 16,500 individual glazed ceramic tiles represent seams of coal
along the banks of the river.
Corten steel cribs change geometry, rotated at 15º angles, to create
the illusion and experience of traveling through a mineshaft. The steel
cribs are continuously welded to matching plates bolted into the
parapet.
Blue LED fixtures highlight the inside faces of each crib and create a
dynamic ambiance. Other integrated lighting safely illuminates the
bridge deck as well as the columns and valley below.
Recipient of 2011 AIA Iowa Chapter Excellence in Design Merit Award;
2012 Sectional Lighting Award, Iowa/ Minnesota Illuminating Engineering
Society; 2012 National Lighting Award of Merit, Illuminating Engineering
Society of North America; 2012 Product Innovation Award, Architectural
SSL Magazine; and Public Art Network’s “Year in Review,” number 12 of
over 400 international projects.