FORT WORTH, TX The Precast Concrete Manufacturers' Association awarded the West 7th Street Bridge a Best of Precast Award in the bridge category at its 2016 PCMA Best of Precast Awards Ceremony and Banquet last month. 

The award was presented to Heldenfels Enterprises, the supplier of the bridge's precast floor beams; Sundt Construction, the general contractor and supplier of the precast arches for the project and the Texas Department of Transportation.

The West 7th Street Bridge is the first of its kind in the world built with precast, post-tensioned arches and floor beams. Each arch measures 24 feet tall by approximately 160 feet long and weighs more than 640,000 pounds. The 12 concrete arches on the bridge were built offsite and installed in pairs along either side of the old bridge. Approximately 300,000 pounds of polished stainless steel within the arches and bridge are illuminated at night with embedded lighting.

The 980-foot-long bridge has four vehicle travel lanes and features two 10-foot pedestrian walkways to ease traffic flow and improve pedestrian access and safety. The project was completed a month ahead of schedule and has been recognized with several other awards including a 2015 Alliant Build America Award. 

The reconstruction of the West 7th Street Bridge created a landmark gateway between Fort Worth's downtown and cultural district.