COMPLETED: 2020
PROGRAM: 1345 SF
BUDGET: $1.9 MILLION
CLIENT: JESUIT HIGH SCHOOL
LOCATION: NEW ORLEANS, LA
For years Jesuit High School dealt with traffic, rain, and security issues when students needed to move from the main academic building to the gymnasium building on the other side of Banks Street. As a continuation of implementing their campus Master Plan, Jesuit was able to bring a dream of a pedestrian bridge to life.
The Jesuit High School Pedestrian Bridge spans Banks Street, connecting the second floors of the 1926 Administration Building and the 1980 Roussel Building that houses the gym. Clearance for traffic underneath and preservation of surrounding oaks were a concern for the school and neighborhood alike. But the safety of students crossing the bridge was priority.
The 125 foot pre-fabricated steel truss structure spans across 4 lanes of traffic and two parking lanes. The walkway has a standing seam roof, stained and stamped concrete decking, and a pattern of horizontal steel channels and angles, in-filled with welded wire mesh panels, all intended to provide visual privacy and weather protection for the students crossing the street. The steel truss walkway is supported by concrete foundations and support columns clad in a brick veneer blend to match the adjacent buildings.