Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge

Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge
Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge in Mobile, Alabama.
Carries	4 lanes of US 90/US 98 Truck
Crosses	Mobile River
Locale	Mobile, Alabama
ID number	015430
Design	Cable-stayed bridge
Total length	7,291 feet (2,222 m)
Width	80 feet (24 m)
Longest span	781 feet (238 m)
Clearance below	140 feet (43 m)
Opened	1991
Daily traffic	11,110
Coordinates	30°44′00″N 88°02′34″W / 30.7333333°N 88.04278°W / 30.7333333; -88.04278

The Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge carrying mainline US 90 and Truck Route US 98 across the Mobile River in Mobile, Alabama. It was named for the Cochrane Bridge, which it replaced, and for the former community of Africatown, which once stood on the western approach to the bridge. Volkert & Associates, Inc. design for the bridge earned it the Outstanding Engineering Achievement in the U.S.A. Award from the National Society of Professional Engineers and the Award of Excellence in Highway Design from the Federal Highway Administration, both in 1992.^[1] It is the only cable-stayed bridge in the state of Alabama. The bridge was damaged on August 29, 2005 when an oil platform, the PSS Chemul, broke free from drydock and was wedged under the bridge by Hurricane Katrina.^[2]

References

1. ^ "Cochrane/Africatown USA Bridge over the Mobile River, Mobile, Alabama". Volkert & Associates, Inc.. http://www.volkert.com/Awards/Cochrane%20Bridge%202.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-28. 
2. ^ "Cochrane-Africatown USA Bridge on U.S. 98 - Closed". Alabama Department of Transportation. 2005-08-29. http://www.dot.state.al.us/Docs/Bureaus/Public+Affairs/Cochrane_Africatown_USA+_Bridge_Katrina.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-28. ^{[dead link]}