Eugene Figg

Eugene C. Figg (August 4, 1936 – March 20, 2002) was an American structural engineer who made numerous contributions to the field of structural engineering, especially in the design of the cable-stayed bridge and the use of the segmental concrete construction method.[1][2]

Life

Figg was born August 4, 1936, in Charleston, South Carolina. He received a civil engineering degree as a structural engineer from The Citadel in Charleston in 1958.[3][4]

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-based partner, Jean M. Muller.[5] His affiliation with Muller, begun at Figg and Muller Engineers (founded in 1978),[6][7] allowed him to gain valuable insight into the application of pre-cast segmental bridge 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.[8]

He formed his own engineering firm, the Figg Engineering Group, still operating and based in Tallahassee.[4] Figg also founded the American Segmental Bridge Institute in 1989, and served four years as a trustee at the National Building Museum.[9]

Awards

In 2000, Figg was honored with the John A. Roebling Medal for his outstanding lifetime achievement in bridge engineering.[10]

Famous bridges

• Sunshine Skyway Bridge
• Linn Cove Viaduct
• Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge

See also

• List of civil engineers

References

1. "Bridge Designer Gene Figg Dies".
2. "CAA Admin Tool".
3. http://www.structuremag.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/D-GreatAchievements-Figg-Weingardt-Oct081.pdf ^[bare URL PDF]
4. "FIGG Bridge Group has built spans all over the country | Miami Herald". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 2018-03-18.
5. "Company that designed the failed FIU bridge also designed Skyway, part of Selmon". 15 March 2018.
6. Holger Svensson (6 August 2013). Cable-Stayed Bridges: 40 Years of Experience Worldwide. Wiley. pp. 99–. ISBN 978-3-433-60229-4.
7. Geo. Gruner & Jahr USA. 1983.
8. Randy Johnson (15 March 2016). Grandfather Mountain: The History and Guide to an Appalachian Icon. University of North Carolina Press. pp. 240–. ISBN 978-1-4696-2700-7.
9. Figg Memorial Tribute. 31 May 2022. doi:10.17226/23394. ISBN 978-0-309-43729-5.
10. "IBC honours award winners for 2000 - Bridge Design & Engineering (Bd & e)". 12 June 2000.

Bibliography

• ASCE – American Society of Civil Engineers. (2002) “2002 OPAL Recipients – Eugene C. Figg, Jr.” <https://web.archive.org/web/20070930180918/http://www.asce.org/opal/2002_figg.cfm> (March 20, 2007)
• Auburn Alumni Association. (2007) “ALUM Spotlight Linda Figg ’81” Auburn University Alumni Spotlight <https://web.archive.org/web/20070428051014/http://www.aualum.org/alumni/spotlight.html> (March 20, 2007)
• Brassfield, Mike. (2002) “’Visionary’ engineer’s legacy spans bay area” St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, Florida). <http://www.sptimes.com/2002/03/22/TampaBay/_Visionary__engineer_.shtml> (March 20, 2007)
• Bridge Design & Engineering. (2002) “New Bridge Award Created in Honour of Eugene Figg” <https://web.archive.org/web/20061110084859/http://www.bridgeweb.com/news/NewsDetails.cfm?ArticleID=55> (March 20, 2007)
• Burgess, M. (2005). “Precast, Prestressed Bridges.” Precast Prestressed Concrete Institute, <https://web.archive.org/web/19961220081344/http://www.pci.org/> (March 22, 2007).
• Ensley, Gerald. (2002) “Bridge designer Eugene Figg dies at 65.” Tallahassee Democrat (Tallahassee, Florida). <http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-8641099_ITM> (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. <http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/> (February 10, 2007)
• Pittman, C. (2001). Bridge inspectors unscathed. Retrieved April 13, 2009, from St. Petersburg Times: <http://www.sptimes.com/News/061101/State/Bridge_inspectors_uns.shtml>
• 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.