Northaven Trail Bridge

A testament to connectivity, industry-leading design and innovative delivery, TXDOT’s Northaven Trail Bridge provides an essential mobility solution that will continue to serve the Dallas community for many years to come.

A New, Safer Connection

The pedestrian bridge spans across the busy, eight-lane U.S. 75 and rests between two highly trafficked systems of local walking/biking trails. Nearly half a mile in length, the structure reduces barriers to alternative methods of transportation and offers a safe, new connection to regional recreational activities.

A One-of-a-Kind Bridge Design

Serving as engineer-of-record and construction phase services provider, HNTB collaborated with the Texas Department of Transportation to deliver a truly one-of-a-kind bridge.

The Northaven Trail Pedestrian Bridge is the only known network-tied arch bridge with a doubly-curved deck and skewed supports. With a structural weight of 800,000 pounds, it’s designed to withstand a pedestrian load of approximately one person per square-foot of bridge deck, or approximately 445,000 pounds. In addition, the bridge’s cable arrangement was carefully designed to increase the stiffness of the structure by a factor of ten, making it incredibly resilient to accidental overloads.

Moved into Place in a Single Night

To support TXDOT’s mission to deliver the bridge while minimizing closures and sustaining highway mobility, HNTB worked to design a bridge that would enable accelerated bridge construction (ABC).

First built off-site, the bridge was then moved into place over a single weekend. Utilizing remote-controlled, self-propelled modular transports (SPMTs), the bridge was transported from its off-site location on Friday and positioned roadside to the major highway. On Saturday, the SPMTs pivoted the structure from its parallel position before relying on bridge gantries to place the bridge in its final position.

While highway traffic was minimized for a few hours overnight, HNTB was able to ensure that U.S. 75 was never fully closed to travelers. By Sunday afternoon, the bridge was in place and all U.S. 75 lanes were once again open.

Now, between the project’s design, delivery and connection, the Northaven Trail Pedestrian Bridge stands as a prime example of innovation within the industry and a welcomed solution for the community.