2006 Decorative Concrete

Four Bears Portal Plaza & Linear Library Truss Monument

Owner: North Dakota Department of Transportation	Entered by: Watford City Ready Mix
Landscape Architect: Kadrmas, Lee & Jackson, Inc.	Structural Engineer: Advanced Engineering in association with Webster, Foster, & Weston
	Contractor: Industrial Builders, Inc.

The Portal Plaza/Linear Library Truss Monument was constructed to commemorate the historic Four Bears Bridges: the 1934 Four Bears Bridge (Elbowoods), the 1955 Four Bears Bridge, and the 2005 Four Bears Bridge. The new bridge structure is located in a picturesque setting spanning over 4,500 feet over Lake Sakakawea on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. Public planning meetings for the plaza focused on materials and shapes, resulting in a consensus to use special finishes on cast-in-place concrete monuments to honor the area’s cultural heritage. The Portal Plaza includes two historic portals or “end pieces” that were salvaged from the old Four Bears Bridge and are elevated on piers. Beneath the portals is interpretive signage explaining the history of each of the old bridges. Decorative concrete is effectively used to not only dress the plaza with color and texture, but to create the tribal emblems representing the Three Affiliated Tribes. The emblems are displayed in three circles representing each of the tribes. The decorative concrete flat work in the circles was created using custom stamps and the colors were applied with acrylic urethane concrete stain. The finished project provides a beautiful memorial plaza with durability and low maintenance to last for the benefit of future generations.