Conceptual Designs for Four Mile Run Bridge Presented
Three design teams will publicly present their conceptual designs Saturday, March 27 for a pedestrian-cyclist bridge that will span Four Mile Run and link trails in Arlington County and the City of Alexandria.
The finalists were selected from among 41 teams who submitted qualifications for a design. A federal grant administered by the Virginia Department of Transportation funded the competition. This is the first of several connections planned to span Four Mile Run, one piece of an ambitious effort to restore the ecology of the waterway. Four Mile Run has for years served as a flood control channel and boundary between Arlington and Alexandria.
Bridge to connect Arlington, Alexandria trails
The finalists are competing to design a bridge that will connect the trail near South Eads Street in Arlington to the trail near Commonwealth Avenue in Alexandria, as called for in the Four Mile Run Restoration Master Plan. Arlington and Alexandria adopted the plan in 2006. The top ranked teams will present iconic design concepts that will take “inspiration from surrounding natural and industrial elements…a modern, sustainable, and sculptural piece, spanning clear across the run with minimal impact to the streambed.”
“The bridge complements the stream restoration by providing a strong design element in the form of an urban amenity,” said Neal Sigmon, of Arlington, co-chair of the Four Mile Run Joint Task Force. “It must be a structure that can function as the keystone in creating a sense of place, uniting two communities that now live separately on each side into a whole with the restored stream as its special and celebrated center,” said Judy Guse-Noritake, chair of Alexandria’s Park and Recreation Commission and co-chair of the Four Mile Run Joint Task Force.
Presentations, reception, jury decision
The finalists are scheduled to begin their presentations at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 27 at the George Washington Masonic Memorial, 101 Callahan Drive, Alexandria, VA 22301. Each team will present their work and a conceptual design to the public and take questions. A reception will begin at 6 p.m. At 7 p.m., an internationally renowned panel of jurists will announce the top ranked team. To attend, please RSVP on-line at: www.4milerun.org. The competition is overseen by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, with technical assistance from the Washington Alexandria Center of the Virginia Tech College of Architecture and Urban Studies.
Arlington, Va., is a world-class residential, business and tourist location that was originally part of the “10 miles square” parcel of land surveyed in 1791 to be the Nation’s Capital. It is the geographically smallest self-governing county in the United States, occupying slightly less than 26 square miles. Arlington maintains a rich variety of stable neighborhoods, quality schools and enlightened land use, and received the Environmental Protection Agency’s highest award for “Smart Growth” in 2002. Home to some of the most influential organizations in the world – including the Pentagon – Arlington stands out as one of America’s preeminent places to live, visit and do business.
via Arlington, Virginia.
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Posted by Resident
on Mar 16 2010. Filed under Northern Virginia News.
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