James D. Pfluger Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge, Austin, Texas
(Photo from
Jay-Reese Contractors, Inc.)
This was previously posted, but though I might share some additional thoughts. I remember when this was first proposed and was put to a public review and nonbinding vote in competition against other bridge schemes. The common public comment was that this angled and undulating bridge looked like it had more work put into it, or had more stuff, or was more elaborately designed. What they were reacting to was that this was indeed the largest, bulkiest, and more overwrought of the bridge proposals. Personally, I actually think the intersecting double curves and spiral ramps, meant to evoke the fluid flow of pedestrians and bicyclists, was overdone and inelegantly awkward. It doesn't help that they settled for interstate highway bridge engineering and construction. For a pedestrian bridge, it's almost more overbuilt than the automobile-heavy Lamar Boulevard Bridge it was meant to parallel (see image above).
The major counterproposal was for cantilevered additions to the side of the nearby arched Lamar Boulevard Bridge that would be least impactful to the river and maintain the integrity of the city grid system. At the time, the vehicular bridge had only narrow and dangerous 3.5-foot sidewalks, and the cantilever plan would widened these to 12 feet. However, there were concerns regarding how such additions would impact the bridge's historical design and even fears for the bridge's structural integrity, and the Texas Historical Commission was adamantly opposed to changes to the pedestrian deadly bridge. Others feared that once alterations were allowed to the bridge and its national historic designations were lost, it would then become easier to later outright replace the bridge for one with expanded traffic lanes. Still more argued that pedestrians on the cantilevered decks would not be able to enjoy the views of the structural arches of the bridge, while a separate, parallel bridge would allow them to do so, even if that separate bridge itself obstructed views of the historic bridge from elsewhere on the riverfront.
For the voting public, a common remark was that with the cantilevered additions to the Lamar Boulevard Bridge, it did not look like they were getting as much bridge for the money spent, and many even had difficulty distinguishing the cantilevered decks from the original bridge. The designers had matched and blended the cantilevered deck additions to the historic bridge too well. I will admit, the public competition on this bridge design helped soured me on some aspects of public design input, and especially on public design popularity voting, as you typically and predictably get the most conventional and lowest common denominator results. Of all the issues the various designers grabbled with, the public was concerned with what was fanciest.
One the other hand, the pedestrian bridge does get well used and has nice views, so I should not complain
too much.
Brackenridge Park Footbridge, San Antonio, Texas
(Photo by
Ken Erfurth on Flickr)
Along the side of a road within a city park is this sculptural bridge by Mexico-born local sculptor Dionicio Rodriguez, famed for civil works during the 1920s-1940s in the "Faux Bois," or "false wood" technique, and in "el trabajo rústico" or "the rustic work" style. Cement and concrete are amazingly made to resemble rustic wood and exquisite natural forms.
(Photo by
Larry D. Moore on Wikimedia)
(Photo from
The Eight Forty)
San Antonio has a great collection of both historic and modern Faux Bois public sculpture thanks to Dionicio Rodriguez and his heirs, and it is a style which the city really should more fully run with in crafting its own local and marketing image. Ken Erfuth's Flickr album "
Trabajo Rusico - Puro San Antonio" has a wonderful photoset featuring these local works.
Japanese Tea Garden Bridges, San Antonio, Texas
(Photo from
Visit San Antonio hosted on Pinterest)
(Photo from
Visit San Antonio hosted on Matador Network)
The Japanese Tea Garden is a 1920s folly built into the excavated remains of a former limestone quarry. The style is a fantasy fusion of Texas Hill Country and Orientalism, and even has a landmark
Faux Bois torii gate entrance by the aforementioned sculptor Dionicio Rodriguez. An authentic Japanese-American family of local artist Kimi Eizo Jingu was invited to live on site and serve tea in a small café. With World War II and the internment of Japanese-Americans, the Jingu family was removed and the garden was for four decades instead called the Chinese Sunken Garden. Later neglect saw the draining of its ponds, but the
picturesque garden has since been slowly restored.
(Photo by the
Jingu Family and hosted on KERA News)
(Photo by
P. Swientek hosted on Pinterest)
(Photo from
City of San Antonio hosted on USA Today 10Best.com)
San Antonio River Bridges, San Antonio, Texas
"Selena's Bridge," San Antonio Riverwalk
(Photo by
Nowvel App on Flickr)
Arneson Theater Bridge, La Villita Arts District
(Photo by
Joe Diaz on Flickr)
O. Henry's Bridge, King William Historic District
(Photo by
Joe Diaz on Flick)
Ewing Halsell Pedestrian Bridge, Museum Reach
(Photo from the
San Antonio River Foundation)
That last bridge used to be a barrel bridge for the Lone Star Brewery. They used to roll beer barrels across it.
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