This weekend, the new Williams Crossing welcomed its first public users across the Arkansas River in Tulsa.
As part of the City of Tulsa’s vision for the improved Zink Dam area, schlaich bergermann partner designed a new pedestrian bridge to replace an existing bridge that was deemed structurally unsound and in need of major repair. The result is the 1,440-ft-long Williams Crossing.
The semi-integral bridge, which is supported by eleven 120-ft-long arch spans and one 120ft approach span, was designed with extremely slender arches built from 3-1/4″ plate of weathering steel. This plate-arch structure is the first of its kind in the US and the bridge is also the first multi-span, plate-arch bridge built in the country.
The new symbol for Tulsa provides a connection to Gathering Place, an immense park designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA), as well as links to the River Parks and Midland Valley Trails. Williams Crossing is designed for both pedestrian and cyclist access and offers opportunities to stop and enjoy the dramatic river views with seating and lookout areas along the curved 18ft wide bridge deck. sbp and MVVA collaborated closely on the design of Williams Crossing to integrate the bridge into the park landscape for a seamless user experience and create a bridge that is an elegant and unique structure for the community of Tulsa.
Williams Crossing opened this weekend in conjunction with several other pieces of infrastructure that will define a new interface with the river: a new dam to form a safe recreational area known as Zink Lake, a whitewater flume, a nexus of regional trails on either side of the Arkansas River and the Midland Valley Trail, and an additional 5 ½ acres of waterfront park added to Gathering Place. All of this completes a vision of a park on the river conceived a decade ago by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and MVVA.
Download the full press kit here.
