The Cincinnati Museum Center's newest display has seen some things — namely, engineers blasting it with gale-force winds, and other stress tests.
Ohio Department of Transportation Project Manager Tommy Arnold says the 14-foot model of the coming Brent Spence companion bridge took it all like a champ.
"Of course we have traffic driving on the bridge, but we also have the weight of the bridge itself, just supporting itself," he said. "Then we have wind loads coming through as well as the river, so there are hydraulic forces as well. [The engineers] evaluate all of these things and more to make sure the bridge can withstand any scenario."
Arnold says the testing process is important since the bridge has a fairly unique cable-stayed, independent deck design. Unlike most double-decked bridges, no steelwork will connect the companion bridge's two decks.
Engineers wanted to ensure the design would behave the way they thought it would. To do so, they collected wind data from weather measurement instruments at Lunken and CVG airports, installed similar equipment on the bridge itself, and made a model, not just of the bridge, but of its surroundings as well.
"They added the existing Brent Spence Bridge, the Clay Wade Bailey, the railroad bridge, the Bengals practice bubble, and a couple other important structures just to see how the whole thing operates in wind conditions," he said. "It's on a disc in the wind tunnel and they can rotate the floor so that where the wind's coming from, they can evaluate how the wind will interact with the bridge."
All bridges are designed to move slightly in response to stressors. Arnold said that was an important factor for engineers to test.
"They used materials that mimic how the bridge will function," he said. "You can actually see this bridge move during wind tunnels. It's exaggerated because this is a 1:140 scale, but they test it to make sure it's actually how the bridge will run."
Arnold said he hopes the display helps people understand the bridge's design and also inspires young people to consider jobs in engineering.
The model is on display in the Museum Center's Shaping Our City exhibit.
Crews broke ground on the actual bridge earlier this year. The real thing is slated to be finished by 2031, with work on other aspects of the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project expected to finish in 2033.
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