Innovation spans the steel bridge industry, but eight recent bridges rise above the rest.
The American Institute of Steel Construction and the National Steel Bridge Alliance are recognizing eight bridges with 2026 Prize Bridge Awards–the structural steel industry’s highest design honor for bridges.
“People across the country rely on steel bridges to connect them to the communities where they live, work, and play–and it takes a specialized group of experts to create those bridges,” said AISC Vice President – Bridges Brandon Chavel, PE, PhD. “This year’s Prize Bridge Award winners are all fantastic examples of how teamwork between owners, designers, fabricators, and constructors can result in innovative and beautiful steel bridges, while also reliably serving their communities for many years to come.”
Owner of the Year
In 2024, NSBA debuted a brand-new award recognizing extraordinary bridge owners whose vision and dedication to the public keep America moving. This year, the Owner of the Year award goes to the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT).
National Winner: New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT)
“The New York State Department of Transportation provided a vital model for DOTs responding to critical situations, while displaying outstanding in-house capabilities over two different projects,” Chavel said. “Following a bridge hit, the NYSDOT team implemented a cost-effective shoring system to stabilize the Riverview Road Bridge over I-87 until a replacement was designed and installed. This project makes for a fascinating case study on a problem that happens across the country.”
The jury was also impressed by a second quick fix.
“NYSDOT’s featured bridges highlighted incredible collaboration with a fabricator to repurpose rolled shapes owned by NYSDOT for a quick replacement of a bridge that became unstable after a flood,” Chavel said. “That’s just one way that the steel bridge industry can–and does–come together in a crisis to help people get on with their lives as quickly as possible.”
There is one remaining 2026 Prize Bridge Award to name: the Bridge of the Year. The finalists are indicated below; the teams behind those bridges will present to the industry at the World Steel Bridge Symposium at NASCC: The Steel Conference on Wednesday, April 22. Conference participants will select the winner live!
Here are the 2026 NSBA Prize Bridge Award winners. Press photos are available for download at this link.
Major Span: one or more spans equal to or greater than 300 ft
National Winner: Hawk Falls Bridge Replacement Project, Carbon County, Pa. (Bridge of the Year finalist).
The new Hawk Falls Bridge is a three-rib steel deck arch designed not only to serve the traveling public but also to fit perfectly with the natural surroundings. The use of weathering steel for this location and a continuous multi-girder superstructure that minimizes expansion joints should result in a low-maintenance structure for many years to come.
Owner: Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, Middletown, Pa.
General contractor: Trumbull Corporation, Pittsburgh
Structural engineer: Modjeski and Masters, Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Steel fabricator and detailer: High Steel Structures, Lancaster, Pa., AISC full member, AISC-certified fabricator and erector
Erector: Structural Services, Nazareth, Pa., AISC associate member
General engineering consultant: HNTB, Arlington, Va.
National Winner: I-64 Kanawha River Bridge, Putnam County, W. Va. (Bridge of the Year finalist)
The record span of the new I-64 Kanawha Bridge shows that thoughtful engineering and design considerations can result in the use of typical plate girder fabrication and construction for long spans, once thought to be unimaginable for this bridge type. This project shows that very long-span steel plate girders are a cost-effective, efficiently constructable solution for future projects of this size.
Owner: West Virginia Department of Transportation, Charleston, W. Va.
General contractor and erector: Joint venture of Brayman Construction, Saxonburg, Pa., AISC full member, and Trumbull Corporation, Pittsburgh
Structural engineer: HDR, Pittsburgh
Steel fabricator and detailer: High Steel Structures, Lancaster, Pa., AISC full member, AISC-certified fabricator and erector
Medium Span: longest span equal to or greater than 140 ft but less than 300 ft
National Winner: Panther Creek Bridge, Klamath, Calif.
The tied-arch structure of the Panther Creek Bridge is an aesthetically pleasing solution that only steel can provide. While visually stimulating, the bridge solves functional issues by keeping substructure units out of the water below and limiting changes to the roadway profile.
Owner: Caltrans, Sacramento, Calif.
General contractor and erector: Golden State Bridge Engineers & Contractors, Benicia, Calif., AISC associate member
Structural engineer: Caltrans, Sacramento, Calif.
Steel fabricator and detailer: Thompson Metal Fab, Vancouver, Wash., AISC full member; AISC-certified fabricator
Merit Winner: Broadway Viaduct Bridge Replacement, Nashville, Tenn.
The Broadway Viaduct Bridge Replacement project is a great case study for how only steel can be customized to provide a shallow superstructure that meets the vertical clearance requirements of obstructions below, with minimal disturbance to the bridge approach roadway.
Owner: Tennessee Department of Transportation, Nashville, Tenn.
General contractor and erector: Kiewit, Nashville, Tenn., AISC-certified erector
Structural engineer: Gresham Smith, Nashville, Tenn.
Steel fabricator and detailer: W&W | AFCO Steel, AISC full member, AISC-certified fabricator and erector
Short Span: no single span greater than 140 ft
National Winner: FARM Bridges Design/Build Bundle, Missouri
The FARM Bridges Design/Build Bundle project shows once again the cost-effectiveness that steel superstructures can provide in both the short-span and design-build environments. Coordination by all project stakeholders resulted in simplified fabrication and erection for 31 different short-span bridges across the state of Missouri.
Owner: Missouri Department of Transportation, Jefferson City, Mo.
General contractor and erector: Capital Construction, Jefferson City, Mo.
Structural engineer: Wilson & Company, Kansas City, Mo.
Fabricator and detailer: DeLong’s, Inc., Jefferson City, Mo. AISC full member, AISC-certified fabricator
Movable bridge
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National Winner: Unionport Bridge, New York
The precision and accuracy needed for the twin single-leaf bascules spans of the Unionport Bridge can only be accomplished with the use of structural steel. Additionally, another key feature of this project is the construction of the bridge within the site constraints of an incredibly tight urban environment.
Owner: New York City Department of Transportation, New York
General contractor: Unionport Constructors, joint venture of Schiavone Construction Co. and Lane Construction Corp., New York
Structural engineer: Hardesty & Hanover, New York
Steel fabricator: STS Steel, Schenectady, N.Y., AISC full member, AISC-certified fabricator
Detailer: DBM Vircon, Tempe, Ariz., AISC associate member
Special Purpose
National Winner: Williams Crossing, Tulsa, Okla. (Bridge of the Year finalist)
The Williams Crossing pedestrian bridge demonstrates yet another way structural steel elegantly meets transportation needs. The first-ever use of this stiffened-plate concept is the signature feature of this bridge, which can only result from great teamwork.
Owner: Stonebridge Group, LLC, Tulsa, Okla.
General contractor: Crossland Construction Company, Tulsa, Okla.
Structural engineer: schlaic bergermann partner (sbp), New York
Steel fabricator: Hillsdale Fabricators, St. Louis, AISC full member, AISC-certified fabricator
Detailer: Esskay Structures, Vienna, Va., AISC associate member
Consultant: ruby + associates, Bingham Farms, Mich.
Rehabilitation
National Winner: Sherman Minton Corridor Project, New Albany, Ind.
One of the great aspects of steel bridges is the ability to rehabilitate, strengthen, and repair them to extend their service life for years to come. The Sherman Minton Bridge, originally constructed in 1962, is another example of a signature structure that can be expertly rehabilitated and strengthened. In this case, the project team used innovative construction methods to replace the hangers and strengthen the superstructure through various steel repairs.
Owner’s representative: Michael Baker International, Indianapolis
Co-owners: Indiana Department of Transportation, Indianapolis; Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Frankfort, Ky.
General contractor and erector: Kokosing, Westerville, Ohio, AISC-certified erector
Structural engineer: Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., St. Louis
Fabricator, detailer, and bender-roller: Bottoms Engineering and Service Inc, Frankfort, Ky. *AISC full member, AISC-certified fabricator*
Additional fabricators and detailers: U.S. Bridge, Cambridge, Ohio, AISC full member, AISC-certified fabricator; Advantage Steel & Construction, Saxonburg, Pa.. AISC full member, AISC-certified fabricator and erector; St. Louis Screw and Bolt, Madison, Ill., AISC associate member; Scougal Rubber, McCarran, Nev., AISC full member, AISC-certified fabricator
