PROJECT  I-95 Newark Toll Plaza Renovation

LOCATION  , , 

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  6/26/2011

ARCHITECT  Whitman, Requardt & Associates, LLP

ASSOCIATED ARCHITECT  

OWNER/CLIENT  Delaware Department of Transportation

CONTRACTOR  A-Del

PHOTOGRAPHER  Michael Koryta

DESIGN TEAM  David McCormick, Brian Riffel, Frederick HIser, Richard Kendrick, Kelly Hollenbeck

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT:

A gantry bridge to support state-of-the-art high speed scanning equipment, segregate cash and E-Z Pass traffic lanes, and develop a unique system of equipment repair access that avoids having to shut down lanes, was created to solved the traffic problems that plagued the toll plaza. The gantry/bridge consists of 100 tons of shop fabricated steel trusses that span 250 feet over the north-bound and a portion of south-bound Interstate 95. To create visual interest, the trusses were triangulated and cantilevered at the ends to transition them against the sky. In lieu of standard hammer-head capped supports, the faces of the piers taper in both directions to provide further abstraction to the composition of the bridges and adjacent angled crash walls. Two access/safety stairs and an elevator had to fit within fractions of an inch tolerance to comply with Federal Highway clearance regulations within the available rights-of-way. The angled shapes reach over the top of the truss and play off the geometry of the existing toll booths and canopies that remained. The hallmark of the project is the glowing overhead truss forms that are clad in shoji-like staggered translucent, glass panels. Fabric screens are suspended between the curtainwall and the structure to provide reflected indirect light back to the window walls that alleviates shadows and add depth to the surface. A sculptural, surrealistic solution was able to be realized and became a gateway to Delaware. The design is intended to visually defy the facility’s utility and the magnitude of its structure to become an unexpected moment experienced by millions, day and night.

IMAGE CAPTIONS & CREDITS

IMAGE 1  I-95 Newark Toll Plaza Renovation _high res ext, View Northbound, @2011, Michael Koryta

IMAGE 2  I-95 Newark Toll Plaza Renovation _high res int, Utility Corridor, @2011, Michael Koryta

IMAGE 3  I_95 Toll Plaza 001, View Southbound After, @2011, Michael Koryta

IMAGE 4  I_95 Toll Plaza 002, View Northbound, @2011, Michael Koryta

IMAGE 5  I_95 Toll Plaza 003, Side View, @2011, Michael Koryta

IMAGE 6  I_95 Toll Plaza 004, Glass Curtainwall, @2011, Michael Koryta

IMAGE 7  I_95 Toll Plaza 005, View Northbound, @2011, Michael Koryta

Media For Download
Project PDF