Project 1: Observation Notes of ASU Bridge

Observation of the ASU Bridge

• Tall
• ·      Steep
• ·      Connects north campus residents to the center of campus
• ·      Located in Tempe
• ·      Silver railings on each side
• ·      On the north side of the bridge there is 3 palm trees on each side
• ·      Crosses over University
• ·      Busy street underneath with cars constantly going underneath
• ·      See down palm walk when walking on it towards the center of campus
• ·      Overlooks beautiful scenery
• ·      Lots of plant life surrounding it
• ·      New green grass on the north side
• ·      One large lamp post on either side
• ·      Stairs designed by a chiropractor to place the least amount of pressure on the lower back and legs
• ·      Lots of stairs
• ·      But why does it have to be so tall? Is it to fit all types of transportation underneath it like the large buses? 
• ·      Made of cement
• ·      Flat ramp next to the stairs on each side of the bridge
• ·      Why have a ramp? To give people the option of taking the stairs that day if they’re too tired?
• ·      What does the bridge truly symbolize
• ·      Bridge is an entrance to the northern part of palm walk
• ·      Sidewalk on either side of the street allowing for pedestrians to walk underneath it
• ·      Brings shade to part of the street as cars drive underneath which can give an instant of relief from the painful heat in the middle of the day
• ·      Has the ASU symbol on the center, signifying that its part of the campus and an important or famous feature of the school
• ·      Gives students an easy way to get from their dorms to their classes
• ·      Appreciative scenery once at the peak of the bridge
• ·      Seems as if there is always at least one person crossing over
• ·      There’s a moment of relief once at the peak
• ·      Cement support underneath each side up to the sidewalk
• ·      The railings are angled to make it difficult to sit or sand upon the ledge
• ·      Sun shines perfectly on it in the middle of the day suggesting that its more powerful than it seems
• ·      Gray colored with cement stairs and ramps
• ·      Walking down either side of the bridge takes concentration to avoid tripping and falling
• ·      On buy days some people walk slower than others making the walk up the bridge feel much longer
• ·      It’s a way of avoiding the crosswalk and traffic by crossing the street
• ·      Leads right into palm walk and access to many of the classes on campus
• ·      Has bike racks on either side to place bikes
• ·      Enough room along each side to walk with bikes up and down the bridge
• ·      Why didn’t the designers of the bridge choose to paint it a color representing one of ASUs colors? Is there a theme with this street that its crossing over where it had to be kept the gray cement color it was made out of?
• ·      Always cars driving through making it somewhat noisy at all times
• ·      Doesn’t seem as tall from the base but once at the top suddenly feels much taller
• ·      The cement on the stairs and ramp is very rough
• ·      Maybe it’s to make sure its not slippery when wet and rained upon?
• ·      When the sun hits it just right it seems to reflect a lot of light in the morning
• ·      When at the top it looks down university from either direction
• ·      At night its lit up by the small lights on the inside of the railing all alon it
• ·      The lights at night make it very calm to walk up and down
• ·      At the top of the bridge it seems as if more common noises start to fade and the sound of cars driving underneath is all you can hear
• ·      Walking the bridge always seems to make it feel hotter outside than it really is
• ·      More shaded towards the side leading to central campus because of the many green trees on either side
• ·      Arch shaped
• ·      Does the size of the bridge symbolize anything?
• ·      Small pole at each end of the bridge
• ·      What is the significance of this pole?
• ·      Is it to show that there is separation of the stairs and ramp?
• ·      Normally people go up the ramp and down the stairs
• ·      Some people chose to take the stairs both ways
• ·      But then there’s a lot of traffic with people when certain people cause to go in different directions than with the flow of traffic
• ·      Some people have to take the ramp both ways if they are walking a bike
• ·      How many people use the bridge daily?
• ·      Do people find it more useful than others?
• ·      When walking down either side of the bridge people tend to look down at all times, is this to make sure that they don’t fall?
• ·      Some people skip stairs because their legs are longer and walking down the steps one at a time cause them to walk slower
• ·      Why is the ASU symbol white?
• ·      The bridge is very clean for the most part
• ·      Not a lot of trash laying around along the edges of the railings or at the very top
• ·      People walking alone across the bridge tend to be very quiet compared to others waling with a friend who seem to talk more on the way down than the way up since usually the walk down is a lot easier than the walk up
• ·      The bridge symbolizes connection
• ·      During the week there is a constant flow of people walking up and don the bridge
• ·      At night you hear the cars driving and the crickets chirping