Press Releases

SAN DIEGO, California – The Georgia Street Bridge Over University Avenue Rehabilitation and Seismic Retrofit project for the City of San Diego received APWA San Diego Chapter’s Project of the Year award.  This is the fourth award for the project which received two Outstanding Project Awards from ASCE San Diego Chapter and an Honor Award from ACEC California earlier this year.

When asked his opinion on why the project has received recognition from multiple professional organizations, Kleinfelder Project Manager Kelly Burnell said, “The project was unique in that we were working with a 100-year-old bridge that was structurally and seismically deficient, but we couldn’t just replace it due to its historic significance.  Not only did we have to squeeze a modern design into the framework of a historic arch bridge, we had to do so in a confined work environment since the bridge was in an urban area with a steady daily traffic flow. These circumstances required a lot of creativity and innovation that is certainly worthy of acknowledgement.”

Kleinfelder worked closely with the City of San Diego to develop design solutions that balanced safety, historic preservation, cost, and seismic performance.  Innovative techniques utilized included integration of existing arch ribs into the final structural system, hydrodemolition of cover concrete, and self-consolidating concrete with reinforcing fibers.

The design also included complex traffic control staging and construction of a traffic protection cover to safely allow traffic under the construction and limit road closures to nighttime only. Crack and deflection monitoring of the existing bridge, retaining walls, and the private properties located directly adjacent to the project were also included in the design.

“The City of San Diego and Kleinfelder are very proud of this project,” commented Kelly.  “We worked hard to maintain the historic integrity of the structure and provide a safe and usable bridge that will serve the community for many years to come.”

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.