2024 Contest: Engineering a Bridge from the Past to the Future

This Fourth of July will mark the 150^th Anniversary of the Eads Bridge.  As part of the celebration of James Buchanan Eads and his famed engineering feat, the Gateway Arch National Park Engineering Contest will focus on the bridge that is the north boundary of the park.

This fall’s contest will be to design a pedestrian bridge that links the park’s north overlook to the Eads Bridge.  This will require the high school teams to be very creative, and there will be numerous regulations and protocols to consider, and there will be an aesthetic component as well – the pedestrian bridge should be attractive and match the styles of the park and the 19^th century cast-steel bridge.

The contest officially begins in September.  It promises to be very difficult, full of real-world engineering challenges, and a valuable learning experience.  It will also be great fun.  The codes, regulations, measurements, and parameters will be available in September when the contest begins.  The schools will make a visit to see the area and will submit an Executive Summary and a PowerPoint Presentation.  The Final will be at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University on November 16th, 2024.

The Gateway Arch National Park Engineering Contest is supported by the following partners: