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The Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay crosses the Sacramento River in the heart of
Redding, California. Opened July 4, 2004, the bridge links the north and south
campuses of Turtle Bay Exploration Park and serves as a new downtown entrance
for Redding's extensive Sacramento River Trail system.
The bridge celebrates human creativity and ingenuity, important themes of the
300 acre Turtle Bay Exploration Park. The steel, glass, and granite span evokes
a sense of weightlessness and the translucent, non-skid decking provides for
spectacular viewing at night. The bridge is also environmentally sensitive to
its river setting. The tall pylon and cable stays allow the bridge to avoid the
nearby salmon-spawning habitat there are no supports in the water while
encouraging public appreciation for the river. Plazas are situated at both ends
of the bridge for public use; the north-side plaza stretches to the water
allowing patrons to sit at the river's edge.
In addition to being a functional work of art, the Sundial Bridge is a technical
marvel as well. The cable-stayed structure has an inclined, 217 foot pylon
constructed of 580 tons of steel. The deck is made up of 200 tons of glass and
granite and is supported by more than 4,300 feet of cable. The structure is
stabilized by a steel truss, and rests on a foundation of more than 115 tons of
steel and 1,900 cubic yards of concrete. The McConnell Foundation, a private,
independent foundation established in Redding in 1964, funded the majority of
the bridge's $23 million cost.
World renowned Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava conceived the
Sundial Bridge's unusual design, his first free-standing bridge in the United
States. Calatrava has built bridges, airports, rail terminals, stadiums, and
other structures around the world. His notable designs include the new PATH
transportation terminal at the World Trade Center site in New York City and
several projects at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, including the main
stadium where opening and closing ceremonies were held.
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Last Updated:
08/19/2024
Any questions email: cvcamp@memphis.edu
This website was originally developed by
Charles
Camp for his
CIVL 3121 class.
This site is maintained
by the Department of Civil Engineering at the
University of Memphis.
Your comments and questions are welcomed.
