IADOT - Broadway Bridge Viaduct

Construction started in July of 2011 with Cramer and Associates as the Prime Contractor

Major work included (111) Bridge mounted lighting poles ranging in size from 39’ to 65’ tall, (12000’) of 2” Galv Rigid conduit in the bridge barrier rail, HPS flood lighting luminaries, LED pole tip lighting fixtures/wands, two electrical circuits with relay panels, and related electrical wiring and infrastructure.

The lighting pole installation was a first of its kind for Sadler Electric and for that matter the IADOT and engineering firm tasked with designing the bridge. The poles were installed in steel sleeves ranging in size from 10” round to 16” round. This was due to the fact that the steel tampered poles gradually got larger as they approached the center of the bridge. Only two poles on the project were the same overall length. The poles were supported in the sleeves via (2) 1 ¼” “pin bolts” at 90 degrees apart on the top and bottom of the sleeves, and then grouted in place on both the exterior and interior of the poles to minimize wind loading and vibration. The majority of the poles extend below the bridge deck by 5’ and were all installed out of plumb at a 9 degree angle. While one side of the bridge poles were painted yellow, the other side was painted a burnt orange. This was done to create a “sunrise” and “sunset” effect for the gateway of the bridge.

Ed Carpenter was selected by Iowa West’s public art selection committee and worked for four years with a large design team on the installation. Carpenter assisted with the overall aesthetics of the new bridge as well as conceiving his gateway at its center. He has described the experience of passing over the half-mile-long viaduct is enhanced by the incorporation of 111 ascending, tilted, and brightly painted light poles at 40’ intervals on either side. The gateway itself frames dramatic views to the east and west, and may suggest a sunrise or the interweaving of disparate parts of the community. Fifty tons of steel were incorporated in the structure spanning the four lanes of US Highway 6 as it passes through the heart of Council Bluffs.