Eugene C. Figg (August 4, 1936 – March 20, 2002) was an American
structural engineer who made numerous contributions to the field of
structural engineering
Structural engineering is a sub-discipline of civil engineering in which structural engineers are trained to design the 'bones and muscles' that create the form and shape of man-made structures. Structural engineers also must understand and cal ...
, especially in the design of the
cable-stayed bridge
A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern ...
and the use of the segmental
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...
construction method.
Life
Figg was born August 4, 1936 in
Charleston, South Carolina. He received a civil engineering degree as a structural engineer from
The Citadel
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one of six senior military colleges in the United States. ...
in Charleston in 1958.
During his career, he brought the use of the segmental method for spanning large gaps to the United States with the assistance of his
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
-based partner,
Jean M. Muller
Jean Muller (May 25, 1925 – March 17, 2005) was a French bridge engineer who focused on design and construction of concrete bridges.
Early career
Born in Levallois-Perret, France, Muller attended the École centrale Paris, École Centrale des Ar ...
. His affiliation with Muller, begun at Figg and Muller Engineers (founded in 1978),
allowed him to gain valuable insight into the application of pre-cast
segmental bridge
A segmental bridge is a bridge built in short sections (called segments), i.e., one piece at a time, as opposed to traditional methods that build a bridge in very large sections. The bridge is made of concrete that is either cast-in-place (constru ...
construction methods to the domestic market. When they coupled this construction method with cable-stayed supports, Mueller and Figg effectively increased the use of concrete in longer span bridge proposals.
He formed his own engineering firm, the
Figg Engineering Group, still operating and based in
Tallahassee
Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...
.
Figg also founded the American Segmental Bridge Institute in 1989, and served four years as a trustee at the
National Building Museum.
Awards
In 2000, Figg was honored with the John A. Roebling Medal for his outstanding lifetime achievement in bridge engineering.
Famous bridges
*
Sunshine Skyway Bridge
The Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge, often referred to as the Sunshine Skyway Bridge or the Sunshine Skyway, consists of a pair of long beam bridges with a central cable-stayed bridge that spans Lower Tampa Bay to connect St. Petersburg, ...
*
Linn Cove Viaduct
The Linn Cove Viaduct is a long, concrete segmental bridge which snakes around Grandfather Mountain in western North Carolina. Completed in 1983 at a cost of $10 million, it was one of the last major construction projects on the Blue Ridge Parkw ...
*
Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge
See also
*
List of civil engineers
References
Bibliography
* ASCE – American Society of Civil Engineers. (2002) “2002 OPAL Recipients – Eugene C. Figg, Jr.”
(March 20, 2007)
* Auburn Alumni Association. (2007) “ALUM Spotlight Linda Figg ’81” Auburn University Alumni Spotlight (March 20, 2007)
* Brassfield, Mike. (2002) “’Visionary’ engineer’s legacy spans bay area” St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, Florida). (March 20, 2007)
* Bridge Design & Engineering. (2002) “New Bridge Award Created in Honour of Eugene Figg” (March 20, 2007)
* Burgess, M. (2005). “Precast, Prestressed Bridges.” Precast Prestressed Concrete Institute, (March 22, 2007).
* Ensley, Gerald. (2002) “Bridge designer Eugene Figg dies at 65.” Tallahassee Democrat (Tallahassee, Florida). (March 20, 2007)
* Marsh, Don. (2002) "Gene Figg: A master of market development." Concrete Products 105.5: 8. OmniFile Full Text Mega. H. W. Wilson. Karmann Library – University of Wisconsin Platteville, Platteville, WI. (February 10, 2007)
* Pittman, C. (2001). Bridge inspectors unscathed. Retrieved April 13, 2009, from St. Petersburg Times:
* Vogel, Mike. (2006) “Making a Connection.” Florida Trend
* Wilson, Bill. (2000) "A brush with greatness." Roads & Bridges 38.8: 28.
* Zeyher, Allen. (2002) “SPANNING THE NEWS.” Roads & Bridges 40.4: 8.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Figg, Eugene
1936 births
2002 deaths
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina alumni
20th-century American engineers
Structural engineers