About three months ago or so, I was contacted by Susan from RGB Networks in Austin. She said they loved my image of the Pennybacker Bridge and wanted to have a large mural of it put on film and then pressed on glass. Wow, what a great project! Out of ALL the fantastic images taken of that bridge, they liked mine the best (either that or I was the cheapest and most willing photographer they stumbled upon).
They finished the project this week and sent me a few images. This is one of them and I think it looks great! I had never considered putting my images on glass, but it must look fantastic sitting in their conference room and looking out. If you’re in Austin and near 10814 Jollyville Road, Building IV, Suite 160, bug the heck out of them and say “I know the guy that took that image!”
Here’s a little history on the bridge. The bridge is a through arch type across Lake Austin to connect north and south Loop 360 highway, also known as the “Capital of Texas Highway.” The road is widely considered one of the most scenic urban drives in central Texas, in large part due to this arched weathering steel bridge and the rolling hills that flank the road. In 2001, 48,000 vehicles crossed the bridge daily. Ten years prior, 22,000 vehicles crossed the bridge daily. The contract for the bridge was let in late 1979 and major structural steelwork was finished by July 1982. The bridge was dedicated officially November 29, 1982 by Austin mayor Carole McClellan and other public officials and opened for traffic December 3, 1982. The bridge is named for Percy Pennybacker, who designed bridges for the Texas Highway Department and was a pioneer in the technology of welded structures.