Missouri Bridge Wins NCMA Award of Excellence

Words: Bronzella Cleveland

MarchApril 2008
Industry News

Award of Excellence
Missouri Bridge Wins NCMA Award of Excellence

Masonry Design Magazine

An arched vehicular and pedestrian bridge in the Seven Bridges master-planned community in Platte City, Mo., near Kansas City, has won the National Concrete Masonry Association’s 2008 Award of Excellence. The bridge, built with VERSA-LOK Retaining Wall Systems, was designed by Shafer, Kline & Warren, Inc., of Lenexa, Kan.

“We never cease to be amazed at how architects and engineers use VERSA-LOK to creatively meet the challenges of landscaping,” says Keith Miller, senior staff engineer with VERSA-LOK. “Bridges are an increasingly popular use for VERSA-LOK, and this is an excellent example of that application.”

The Mosaic system used on the bridge comprises three different-sized units in a four-unit panel, measuring 10 inches tall by 24 inches wide and 12 inches deep. The arrangement of the units can be switched around in the panel to create a random face pattern. That, along with its Weathered texture, the company says, lends to its natural appearance.

Gary Strack, P.E., director of structural engineering with Shafer, Kline & Warren, said the Weathered texture was the perfect fit for the bridge’s setting. “The SRW material intelligently relates to the landscape treatment of the surrounding greenway,” he said. MD

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