Skip to main content

Concrete

River des Peres Sewage & Drainage Works
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: BridgesEra: 1920-1929DateCreated: 1924-1921St. LouisState: MOZip: 63109Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/River-des-Peres-Sewage---Drainage-Works/Creator: Horner, W.W.

In 1915, a tropical storm dropped nearly 11 inches of rain on St. Louis in just 17 hours, causing a devastating flood. Claiming 11 lives and the homes of 1,025 families, the flood focused public and government attention onto the problems of the river. 

YearAdded:
1988
Image Credit: Courtesy Wikipedia/MillbrookyImage Caption: Today, the River Des Peres Sewage & Drainage Works provides the backbone for the 110-square-mile St. Louis drainage basin.Era_date_from: 1924
Lacey V. Murrow Bridge and Mount Baker Ridge Tunnels
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: BridgesEra: 1940-1949DateCreated: 1940King County State: WAZip: 98040Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Lacey-V--Murrow-Bridge-and-Mount-Baker-Ridge-Tunnels/Creator: Murrow, Lacey V., Hadley, Homer

The 1.5 mile Lacey V. Murrow Bridge was the largest floating structure in the world and the first to be built of reinforced concrete when completed in 1940.  The bridge consisted of typically 300-foot long pontoons floated to site and rigidly connected to form a continuous structure and incorporated a unique floating concrete draw-span to allow for passage of marine traffic.  The original floating structure, constructed by Pontoon Bridge Builders, was accidentally sunk in 1990 during a major renovation effort and was replaced by 1993.

YearAdded:
2008
Image Credit: Courtesy Wikipedia/Walter SiegmundImage Caption: The bridge and tunnel project were key in improving eastern access to Seattle, a major commercial port on the eastern rim of the Pacific Ocean. Era_date_from: 1940
Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: BridgesEra: 1930-1939DateCreated: 1930Veterans Memorial BridgeWest HempfieldState: PACountry: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Columbia-Wrightsville-Bridge/Creator: Long, James , Wiley-Maxon Construction Company

The total length of the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge is 7,374 feet. Its construction required 100,000 cubic yards of concrete and 8 million pounds of steel reinforcing rods.

YearAdded:
1984
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Gerry Dincher (CC BY-SA 2.0)Image Caption: Columbia-Wrightsville BridgeEra_date_from: 1930
Atlantic City Convention Hall
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: BuildingsEra: 1920-1929DateCreated: 1926-19292301 BoardwalkAtlantic CityState: NJZip: 08401Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/project/atlantic-city-municipal-convention-center/Creator: Lockwood-Greene & Co.

The quantities of materials used in the building are staggering: 12,000 tons of structural steel; 42,000 cubic yards of concrete - consisting of 65,000 barrels of cement and 25,000 tons of sand; 360,000 feet of piling; and 10,000,000 bricks. At the time of its construction, Atlantic City Municipal Convention Hall was believed to be the world's largest hall, capable of seating 40,000 people. It continues to serve as a meeting place for shows, pageants, sporting events, and conventions. It is a structure of heroic proportions.

YearAdded:
1983
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Paul Lowry (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: The Atlantic City Convention Hall maintains its magnificence even as it approaches 90 years of age.Era_date_from: 1926
Subscribe to Concrete

Innovations

Atlantic City Convention Hall

The quantities of materials used in the building are staggering: 12,000 tons of structural steel; 42,000 cubic yards of concrete - consisting of 65,000 barrels of cement and 25,000 tons of sand; 360,000 feet of piling; and 10,000,000 bricks. At the time of its construction, Atlantic City…

Read More
Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge

The total length of the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge is 7,374 feet. Its construction required 100,000 cubic yards of concrete and 8 million pounds of steel reinforcing rods.

Consisting of 28 arches, each 185 feet long, the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge carrying automobile traffic…

Read More
Lacey V. Murrow Bridge and Mount Baker Ridge Tunnels

The 1.5 mile Lacey V. Murrow Bridge was the largest floating structure in the world and the first to be built of reinforced concrete when completed in 1940.  The bridge consisted of typically 300-foot long pontoons floated to site and rigidly connected to form a continuous structure and…

Read More
River des Peres Sewage & Drainage Works

In 1915, a tropical storm dropped nearly 11 inches of rain on St. Louis in just 17 hours, causing a devastating flood. Claiming 11 lives and the homes of 1,025 families, the flood focused public and government attention onto the problems of the river. 

In the early 1900s, St. Louis…

Read More

We hope you enjoyed this essay.

Please support America's only magazine of the history of engineering and innovation, and the volunteers that sustain it with a donation to Invention & Technology.

Donate

Stay informed - subscribe to our newsletter.
The subscriber's email address.