It’s really funny how when I’m really at a loss for anything to post, something interesting just pops up out of nowhere.
Like today’s interesting historical nugget, which is kind of a follow-up to two blogs I wrote last March on the occasion of the Irondequoit Bay Bridge’s 54th birthday. The first was about the fact the bridge had marked a birthday, and included a little history. I got so many interesting comments and memories following that blog that it prompted a second one, where I shared many of them.
Several days ago I got an email from one of my readers about the bridge and an article he was writing for the Irondequoit Bay Fish and Game Club. He wondered if I knew who the general contractor was back in 1967. I wasn’t able to help him much, but he did a little more digging, and came across an article in this publication from the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).
Turns out the AISC holds an annual national competition rating bridges, and named the Irondequoit Bay Bridge one of the “Prize Bridges of 1971,” one of “the most beautiful bridges opened to traffic in 1970.” Specifically, our beautiful bridge earned an Award of Merit in its Medium Span, High Clearance category.
According to the publication, the contest is designed to
promote a more widespread appreciation of the aesthetics of steel bridges and to honor the architectural excellence of modern bridge design … Each year a distinguished Jury of Awards composed of leading educators, architects, and engineers, selects the steel bridges which it judges to be the most beautiful of those opened to traffic in the United States during the previous year.
So next time you’re crossing over the bay, make sure to tip your hat to our award-winning bridge.
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(posted 1/10/2025)
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