W. Denney Pate
Pate wanted to design bridges since growing up in north Alabama. He graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Auburn University, and bridges have been his passion at Florida-headquartered FIGG.
His experience on more than 30 cable-stayed bridge designs led him to create a revolutionary cradle system that significantly improves the service life of a bridge and reduces initial construction costs. The cable-stay cradle system uses individual sleeves to carry strands through the pylon, allowing the strands to act independently. As a result, engineers can monitor individual strands and swap them out without closing the bridge, greatly improving ease of inspection and long-term maintenance. The system has been installed on bridges around the country and become a model for other major spans.
