Eugene C. Figg (August 4, 1936 â March 20, 2002) was an American structural engineer who made numerous contributions to the field of structural engineering, especially in the design of the cable-stayed bridge and the use of the segmental concrete construction method.
Figg was born August 4, 1936, in Charleston, South Carolina. He received a civil engineering degree as a structural engineer from The Citadel in Charleston in 1958.
During his career, he brought the use of the segmental method for spanning large gaps to the United States with the assistance of his Paris-based partner, Jean M. Muller. His affiliation with Muller, begun at Figg and Muller Engineers (founded in 1978), allowed him to gain valuable insight into the application of pre-cast segmental bridge construction methods to the domestic market. When they coupled this construction method with cable-stayed supports, Mueller and Figg effectively increased the use of concrete in longer span bridge proposals.
He formed his own engineering firm, the Figg Engineering Group, still operating and based in Tallahassee. Figg also founded the American Segmental Bridge Institute in 1989, and served four years as a trustee at the National Building Museum. Over its history, FIGG has designed or contributed to over 230 bridges across the United States and internationally. The firm has received numerous awards for its engineering and design work, including recognition from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the National Steel Bridge Alliance. Notable projects of the firm have included the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay, Florida (1987); the Natchez Trace Parkway Arches in Franklin, Tennessee (1994); the Blue Ridge Parkway Viaduct and Linn Cove Viaduct in North Carolina; the I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge, a replacement bridge constructed after the original structure's collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota (2008); and a Florida International University pedestrian bridge in Sweetwater, Florida that collapsed while under construction.
In 2000, Figg was honored with the John A. Roebling Medal for his outstanding lifetime achievement in bridge engineering.