Our bridge expert Daniel Tassin receives the John A. Roebling Medal

On July 19, 2022, the John A. Roebling Medal was awarded to Daniel Tassin at the International Bridge Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Awarded once a year, this medal is one of the highest distinctions given to engineers for their exceptional contribution to technological progress in bridge engineering. This honour recognises Daniel Tassin’s entire career, more than 50 years of commitment to engineering and the infrastructure projects he has led, particularly in North America.

Over fifty years of bridge engineering

After graduating from the École Spéciale des Travaux Publics in Paris in 1971, and receiving a diploma from the CHEBAP section (specialising in reinforced and prestressed concrete) of the Centre des Hautes Études de la Construction, Daniel Tassin worked for 25 years alongside Jean Muller, one of the most illustrious bridge engineers and inventor of the prefabricated voussoir construction method. Together, they have participated in a large number of bridge projects around the world, including the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa, Florida, for which Daniel Tassin was the chief engineer.

In 2000, Daniel Tassin co-founded International Bridge Technologies (IBT), which joined the SYSTRA Group in 2017. Many signature bridges have been built since then: the Atlantic Bridge in Panama, the Puente de la Unidad in Mexico, the Pitt River and Port Mann bridges in Vancouver, Canada, the Sound Transit Central Link Light Rail in Seattle, the Abraham Lincoln and Lewis and Clark bridges in Louisville, the Second Vivekananda Bridge in India, and the construction of the Montreal Metropolitan Express Network in Canada.

Daniel Tassin is also the recipient of the American Segmental Bridge Institute (ASBI) Leadership Award and the lead author of the ASBI reference document, Design and Construction of Concrete Cable-Stayed Bridges. In 2018, he was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, an honor bestowed on the world’s most recognized engineers. Still active in the Group, he serves as SYSTRA IBT’s Senior Technical Advisor.

I am proud and honoured to have received this prestigious award, which rewards years of teamwork on projects that stand out for their technical rigour, optimisation of construction costs, respect for execution methods and the search for aesthetic quality, all at the service of the population.

Daniel Tassin, SYSTRA’s Senior Technical Advisor

John A. Roebling: a famous engineer

The John A. Roebling Medal was created in honour of engineer and bridge designer John Augustus Roebling (1806 – 1869), inventor of twisted wire ropes, a technique essential to the construction of suspension bridges and still used today. He is best known for designing the Brooklyn Bridge, a true symbol of New York.