Completed, 1999

The Woodlands wished to create a major access link to the interstate highway on the east side of the new town, which required the construction of a major bridge. Also, the client wanted to use the bridge to create a marker that could be readily seen from the highway. The completed structure now serves as a symbol of the town and has become the primary entrance to its central commercial and entertainment waterway-related district.

Ford, Powell & Carson, collaborating with local engineers, designed a divided roadway bridge hovering over the lake's surface. A great arch, 330 feet long, fabricated of pipe sections, tensile steel cables and compression struts, spans the lake between the divided roadway bridge. Readily visible by day and highly illuminated at night, the structural arch and bridge combination has established its presence as a marker and symbol of the new town.