Moody College of Communication to Dedicate Moody Bridge on March 31

AUSTIN, Texas -- March 30, 2016 – The Moody College of Communication will officially dedicate the Moody Bridge at a ceremony on Thursday, March 31, 2016, at 4 p.m.

The ceremony will celebrate the new bridge that spans Dean Keeton Street and connects the Belo Center for New Media to Communication Buildings A and B of the Jesse H. Jones Communication Center. The ceremony will be followed by a reception in the second floor lobby of the Belo Center at 5 p.m.

“Our new bridge will help unite our faculty, staff and students, both literally and figuratively, and will become a major new campus landmark,” said Jay Bernhardt, dean of the Moody College of Communication. “Now that we have successfully built this pedestrian bridge, we must continue building bridges within our college and throughout campus to help our ideas and expertise achieve their maximum reach and impact. 

The bridge was made possible by the Moody Foundation of Galveston as part of their landmark gift in October of 2013. The project also received matching funds from The University of Texas at Austin.

Speakers at the dedication ceremony will include:

  • Jay Bernhardt, dean of the Moody College of Communication
  • Ross Moody, president and chief operating officer of National Western Life Insurance Company and trustee of the Moody Foundation
  • Frederick “Fritz” Steiner, dean of the School of Architecture
  • Miguel Rosales, president and principal designer of Rosales+Partners and lead architect of the Moody Bridge
  • Mike Wilson, assistant dean of external relations in Moody College.
  • Maya Garcia, president of Moody College of Communication student communication council

Construction was overseen by the UT System Office of Facilities Planning and Construction (OFPC). Support beams for the bridge were installed during the weeks of September 21 and 28, and construction on the bridge was conducted from Dec. 21, 2015 to March 22, 2016.

  • Design and construction of the Moody Bridge was performed by the following teams:
  • Rosales + Partners – Bridge architects and lead designers
  • Lawrence Group – Prime architects for bridge team and architects of the Belo Center for New Media
  • Freese & Nichols – Structural engineering
  • Jose I. Guerra Inc. – Electrical engineering
  • Chan and Partners Team – Civil engineering and site development

The Moody Bridge will be open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday.

Lauren Phillips
Public Affairs Representative