The City of Georgetown is brimming with local flavor and architecture. The low-water crossing over the San Gabriel River that runs through a city park needed to be replaced with a structure that would pass the 100-year design storm, provide pedestrian access across the river, and incorporate the local historic aesthetics. Aguirre & Fields received an ACEC Engineering Excellence Award for taking a large bridge and transforming it into a monument that is both functional and pleasing to the eye.
The PS&E plans included the design of the award-winning bridge, roadway, roundabout, pedestrian elements, retaining walls, drainage, and illumination. Some of the main design features included local architectural features from Southwestern University and local churches which were incorporated into the bridge design aesthetics; three roadways requiring reconstruction in order to tie into the new bridge; a roundabout that was incorporated into the layout on the north side of the river; pedestrian alcoves were integrated on each side of the bridge for pedestrian gatherings with a beautiful view of the San Gabriel River; and the center of the traffic circle became a bio-retention pond improving water run-off quality to meet the requirements of the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone.
