In May 2004, Mayor Bill Purcell cut the red ribbon to open the Gateway Bridge in Nashville, Tennessee. He declared it to be the new "front door" to the city. This massive 1,660 foot structure was constructed to replace the overworked and historic Shelby Street Bridge. The design consultant for Gateway Bridge was HNTB Corporation. They finished the design in 2001. At that point, construction began under the Ray Bell Construction Company. After 3 years, the bridge was ready to be opened to traffic. It was a boon, allowing the Shelby Bridge, closed to vehicles in 1998 to become a Pedestrian Bridge (2003). In 2006, the name of Gateway Bridge was changed. It is now the Korean War Veterans' Memorial Bridge. This name was chosen to recognize and pay tribute to the over 134,000 Tennesseans who served in the military during the Korean War from 1950-1953. The Gateway or Korean War Veterans' Memorial Bridge is 6 lanes across. It stretches across the Cumberland River from Shelby Avenue on the East side to Downtown at First Avenue. It is 102' wide and 192' high. It has a 544' arch. The Gateway Bridge is painted Aircraft Silver on top and Pantene Red underneath. Its innovative architecture has resulted in it receiving a number of awards. These, in 2005, included the Major Span Award chosen by the National Steel Bridge Alliance in their Prize Bridge Competition. The Gateway Bridge also made it into the top 10 Bridge List of the magazine "Roads and Bridges."
