It’s cold here in my studio, an old hay barn, but Rachael, a woman I’ve never met, knit me a pink pussycat hat that keeps me warm and in solidarity with everyone who wants to build bridges, and not walls. The hat came about because Rachael’s daughter and my son are Badgers, students at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. We parents marvel, pretty much all the time, about Badger bonding—it’s powerful and capable of crossing any distance. The pink hat reminds me daily that these invisible bridges are the strongest of all. Even more than they connect places, bridges connect people.
Of the many people who helped shape this book, I am most indebted to Linda Figg of FIGG Bridge Group, who has given me hands-on experience with large-scale landmark bridges. Her steadfast belief in beauty for all has buoyed my own conviction that bridges, perhaps more than any other kind of structure, champion the public good. My thanks for the help and friendship of everyone at FIGG, especially Christy Gray, Nancy Gavalas, LuAnn Cutshaw, Denney Pate, Alan Phipps, Jay Rohleder, Chris Burgess, and Tom DeHaven. I am grateful for Jean Connolly’s precise and timely support of the first edition. This book is dedicated to the memory of the visionary bridge builder Gene Figg, who gave me a crash course in civil engineering two decades ago, an act of exceptional generosity that typifies the company he founded.
Two remarkable women, Avery Bang and Alissa Smith of Bridges to Prosperity, understand that in many parts of the world what people need most is a bridge. Thank you for inspiration of your vision and dedication to social justice. Portions of this book were written during an Escape to Create writing residency at Blessings by the Sea, the well-named home of Bridey and Gerald Meinecke. For your hospitality, good cheer, and evergreen belief in the power of art, thanks to my friends in Seaside, Florida.
Many thanks to Black Dog & Leventhal, particularly publisher J. P. Leventhal, who loves books and is committed to keeping them in print. For a writer, there is no greater gift. Illustrated nonfiction is hard to do well, and for their zest, prowess, and love of detail, I thank Dinah Dunn, the most thoughtful of editors; production editor Melanie Gold and copyeditor Laura Cherkas; Carlos Esparza for his cover design; Kris Tobiassen at Matchbook Digital for the interior page design; and publicist Kara Thornton for getting out the good word. Thanks too to Pam Horn, Allison Russo, Tim Stauffer, Helene Liss, and Justin Lukach, who produced the original edition, and as always, Edward Goodman for his meticulous indexing and long friendship.
This book is dedicated to my treasured friends, Leslie Cecil and Creighton Michael. There are no words adequate to thank you for your love, support, inspired creativity, and inestimable hospitality over these many decades. My wonderful agent Cathy Hemming once said, “You hit the jackpot with those kids of yours,” and she’s right. My sons, Brendan and Emmet, are the wellspring of my life. We’ve always held hands tightly, but even more so over the last year. Boys, let’s remember Nietzsche’s advice: “No one can build you the bridge on which you, and only you, must cross the river of life… Where does it lead? Don’t ask, walk!”
My thanks to those who lent their knowledge and practical expertise to the original and current editions, particularly Elizabeth Abbott, Robert Cortright, Eric DeLony of the Historic American Engineering Record, Medwyn Parry, David Plowden, and Dale Wilhelm. I am indebted to the structural historians and passionate pontists whose works and websites are listed in the bibliography. My thanks also to the many good people who contributed their time, insights, photography, and help, including: Pablo Alfonso, Arenas & Asociados; Dr. Margot Ammann-Durer; Sarah Arbes, Schlaich Bergermann; Jamey Barbas, The New NY Bridge, New York Thruway Authority; Héctor Beade-Pereda, Arenas & Asociados; Kim Bertron; Jean-François Blassel; Karina Bessoudo, WSP; Donald and Joan Betty; David Billington, Princeton University; Dave Bohn; Santiago Calatrava and staff; Guillermo Capellán, Arenas & Asociados; Adam Cohen Photography; Christo and Jeanne-Claude; Regina Clarkin; Tom Cooper, WSP; Regine de la Cruz, Louis Berger; Weiping Dai; Jeanmaire Dani; Robert and Daryl Davis; Jacqueline Decter; Thomas Deller and Kathryn Cavanaugh, Department of Planning & Development, City of Providence; Marsha Dowler; Barnaby Evans and Laura Duclos, WaterFire; Nicola Evans, WSP; Andy Farenwald; Patrick J. Foye, The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey; Kenneth Frampton, Columbia University; Brian Fulcher; Frank Gehry; Neil Goodwin, Peace River Films; Alan Gottlieb; Mark Griffin; Zaha Hadid Architects; Robert Hadlow, Jeff Swanstrom, and Orrin Russie, Oregon Department of Transportation; Barbara Hall, Jon Williams, Carol Lockman, and the staff of the Hagley Museum and Library; Patrick Harshbarger, Society for Industrial Archeology; Rachael Ropel Herrenbruck; Dean Herrin, National Park Service; Stan Kaderbek and Lou Chrzasc, Chicago Department of Transportation; Paul Kasmin Gallery; Deborah Kass; Ann Kilbourne; Lake Havasu City Visitors & Convention Bureau; Mary and Larry Lazin; Raymond Lee, Rafael Viñoly Architects; Marianne Letasi, Detroit Institute of Arts; Roger A. McCain, Drexel University; Brian MacLean, Thomas Allen & Sons; Beth and Ed Matthews; Gayle Mault and Joe Wong, Foster + Partners; Brian Mercure, Tectonic Engineering; Michigan Department of Transportation; MTA Bridges and Tunnels, New York; NEXT Architects; Janet Parks and Dan Kany, Avery Architectural Library, Columbia University; Pekka Pulkkinen, WSP; Catha Grace Rambusch; Darl Rastorfer; Brent Runyon, Providence Preservation Society; Aaron Schmidt; Jörg Schlaich, Schlaich Bergermann; Richard Serra; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Tom Sorel, Minnesota Trucking Association; Erica Stoller/ESTO; William D. Warner; Weidlinger Associates, Inc.; Chester Werts, HDR; Dennis S. M. Wong, Lantau Fixed Crossing Project; and William Worthington, Smithsonian Institution, Division of Engineering and Industry.