Michael Baker’s work on the Lake Bridges in Marshall and Trigg Counties, Kentucky, earned a 2019 National Recognition Award at ACEC’s annual awards gala.
The Lake Bridges form east and west gateways to the Land Between the Lakes (LBL), a pristine and uninhabited National Recreation Area covering a total of 170,000 acres, seven miles east and west and extending 40 miles north and south between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. The crossing also includes a three-span bridge, directly west of the Kentucky Lake Bridge, leaving an environmentally-sensitive lagoon unscathed. Both arch bridges are over navigable waterways and are signature structures that provide a unique and unforgettable entrance into one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region.
Constructed within the New Madrid Fault zone, these bridges carry four lanes of traffic and a multi-use, bicycle/pedestrian path. The bridges’ open pedestrian railings and decorative pedestrian railing panels offer passengers and path users stunning views of the surrounding lakes, an adjacent state park, and forested areas. The new bridges now stand as iconic landmarks for western Kentucky while providing safe and reliable crossing over these two major lakes.
To date, the Lake Bridges have received the following recognition:
- 2019 ACEC Kentucky Grand Conceptor Award