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28th/31st Avenue Connector/Francis S. Guess Connector Bridge

Completed in the fall of 2012, the Public Works Complete Street project 28th/31st Avenue Connector includes landscaped bioswales to capture the stormwater runoff from the road. Bioswales are depressed landscape areas designed to remove silt and pollution from the water runoff before releasing it to the water table or the storm drainage system. The 0.3-mile bridge — named after the late Nashville businessman and civil rights leader Francis S. Guess — and roadway link, connects neighborhoods while creating a better line of traffic from Metro General Hospital, Meharry Medical College and TSU to Centennial Medical Center, HCA and Vanderbilt. The official opening of the 28th/31st Avenue Connector project uniting parts of West End with North Nashville was celebrated with a Grand Opening event for the community on Tuesday, October 2. This 0.3–mile bridge and roadway link, connecting neighborhoods while creating a better line of traffic from Metro General Hospital, Meharry Medical College and TSU to Centennial Medical Center, HCA and Vanderbilt, was opened on schedule and completed within its $18.5 million budget. Source: venue website

Gateway Boulevard Bridge/Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge

Bridge

Nashville’s Gateway Boulevard Bridge — aka the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge — continues to garner national attention for its innovative design and construction. In August 2005, the signature structure won top honor in the “Major Span” category in the National Steel Bridge Alliance 2005 Prize Bridge Competition. Then, in November 2005, Gateway made Roads & Bridges magazine’s Top 10 Bridges List for 2005. The structure was Number 9 on the overall list, and graced the front cover of the magazine’s November 2005 edition. Hailed as the “new front door” to Nashville, the Gateway Bridge opened in May 2004 reconnecting neighborhoods in East Nashville and the Downtown area. It replaced the historic Shelby Street Bridge, which was closed to vehicle traffic in 1998 and subsequently re-opened as the city’s landmark Pedestrian Bridge in 2003. In early 2006, the Metro Council approved naming Gateway the "Korean Way Veterans Memorial Bridge" to honor the more than 134,000 Tennesseans in military service during the Korean War from 1950-1953. Among the interesting facts and featured “firsts” about Gateway: Bridge Type -- Fixed, through-arch structure; Tennessee’s first Length -- 1,660 ft Main Span -- 571 ft; downtown Nashville’s first “clear” span over the Cumberland River Width -- 102 ft Height -- 192 ft (78 ft from river to slab) Deck Support -- 72 cables for a total of 4589 ft of cables = 0.87 mile Amount of Structural Steel -- approximately 5.9 million pounds = 2950 tons Number of Bolts -- approximately 46,000 bolts Length of Concrete Beams -- 11,362 ft = 2.15 miles Amount of Concrete in Bridge Deck -- 5688 yd3 = approximately 570 trucks Lighting -- 26 Street Lights and 18 Accent Lights Source: venue website