Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge

Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge
File:Cochrane-Africatown USA Bridge May 2012.jpg Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge in Mobile, Alabama
Coordinates
Carries	4 lanes of US 90 / US 98 Truck
Crosses	Mobile River
Locale	Mobile, Alabama
ID number	015430
Characteristics
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)
History
Construction cost	$68.9 million
Opened	1991
Statistics
Daily traffic	10,800 (2009)
Toll	no

The Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge carrying US 90/US 98 Truck across the Mobile River from the mainland to Blakeley Island in Mobile, Alabama.

History

The Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge was completed and opened in 1991. It was named in honor of the 60-year-old vertical-lift Cochrane Bridge that it replaced, and the former community of Africatown, which once stood at the western approach to the bridge. Volkert and 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. It was the first, and still the only, cable-stayed bridge in the state of Alabama. The bridge was damaged on August 29, 2005 when a 13,000 ton oil platform, the PSS Chemul, broke free from drydock and was wedged under the bridge by Hurricane Katrina. Surprisingly, the bridge remained in service and continued to carry two lanes of traffic after the storm.