Martin Olav Sabo Bridge

Martin Olav Sabo Bridge. . , Tower Mast: 100' Above Deck , West Approach: 2 Spans 110' , Reinforced Concrete Deck Bridge, Main Span: 215' , Cable-Stayed Bridge, East Approach: 7 Spans Totaling 357' , Reinforced Concrete Deck Bridge, Congressman Martin Olav Sabo , Career: 1961-1978 Minnesota House of Representatives , 1979-2006: US House of Representatives: Fifth District, Minnesota, With more than four decades of elective public service Congressman Martin Olav Sabo has "distinguished himself through a long and honored tenure in the House," according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune., Martin Sabo has been a strong supporter of mass transit, pedestrian and bicycle programs over his tenure. He has been instrumental in obtaining the Federal funding necessary to construct the Hiawatha Corridor light rail transit line which this bridge crosses to the East. He also played a critical role in obtaining Federal funding necessary to construct the Midtown Greenway trail system of which this bridge is a key element., Martin Olav Sabo completed his fourteenth term in Congress in December, 2006., Cable-Stayed Bridge , The bridge before you is a cable-stayed bridge. It may look similar to a suspension bridge, but the two bridges support their deck loads in very different ways. The difference lies in how the cables are connected to the towers, transmitting the deck load to anchorages at either end. In cable-stayed bridges, the cables are attached to the towers. "Balanced" cable-stayed bridges include symmetrical decks on either side of the support tower. The Martin Olav Sabo Bridge is unique in that the weight of the main span is supported by "back stay" cables which are anchored into large concrete blocks on both sides of the deck. These massive blocks are attached to the limestone bedrock 50 feet below ground using a series of rock anchors which in combination with the concrete blocks resist the uplift force of the back stay cables., In addition to the large vertical forces, cable-stayed bridges create very large horizontal forces in the deck comparable in scale to vertical forces. These compressive forces acting in the deck from east to west handle the compression forces in the deck more efficiently. A similar but opposing horizontal force is transferred to the large concrete blocks which are being pulled together by the action of the cables. This compressive force is resisted by three underground reinforced concrete structs which form a triangular pattern between the main pier and the two concrete earth anchor blocks. The bridge force diagram at the right illustrates the interaction of the main cable-stayed bridge elements. The bridge spans east and west of the main span are designed with slender decks to compliment [sic] the cable-stayed deck., Although cable-stayed bridges may look modern, the original idea for them began hundreds of years ago. The first known sketch of a cable-stayed bridge appears in a book called Machinae Novae published in 1595, but it wasn't until this century that this bridge style became feasible to engineer and construct. Cable-Stayed bridges have begun to be erected in the United States only recently. The Martin Olav Sabo bridge is the first of its type to be constructed in the State of Minnesota., Midtown Greenway , The Midtown Greenway trail system runs over 5 miles from Minneapolis' Chain of Lakes Regional Park to the Mississippi River. The Greenway is much more than a traditional trail. Utilizing an abandoned freight corridor, it provides for safe movement of bicycles and pedestrians for commuting and recreation with minimal street crossings 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Through the work of Hennepin County, MnDOT and the City of Minneapolis, the trail system is becoming a beautifully landscaped ribbon connecting neighborhoods, employment centers, schools and parks while spurring redevelopment of adjacent land. The Greenway Corridor is illustrated along the bottom of the panel., Project Credits , Agency Responsible for Design and Construction: Hennepin County , Owner: City of Minneapolis , Engineering Consultant: URS Corporation , Construction Contractor: Ames Construction , Design Period: 12 Months , Construction Period: 10 Months , Funding: U.S. Government, Hennepin County , Partner Agencies: MnDOT, Metropolitan Council