Engineering Inc. - July/August 2008 - (Page 26)

MULTI-PROJECT FEATURE The Minnesota Department of Transportation awarded a $234 million contract to rebuild the I-35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge. Rebuilding In the Face of Tragedy Linda Figg PROJECT: I-35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge, Minneapolis FIRM: T 26 FIGG Engineering Group, Tallahassee, Fla. wo months after the terrifying I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis on Aug. 1, 2007, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) awarded a $234 million design-build contract to the joint venture of Longmont, Colo.–based Flatiron Construction Corporation and Manson Construction Co., Inc., of Seattle, for the bridge’s ENGINEERING INC. replacement. Tallahassee, Fla.–based FIGG Engineering Group is the engineer of record responsible for bridge design, providing quality assurance on-site during construction and managing the overall engineering team, including the general civil engineer and roadway design firm, the geotechnical analysis company, the landscape architects and the aesthetic lighting company. “The project’s goal is to design a bridge for the future that is constructed for safety, sustainability and aesthetics,” says Linda Figg, the firm’s president and CEO. Her firm is charged with designing and overseeing construction of a bridge 1,223 feet long and 189 feet wide with a 100-year projected lifespan, capable of carrying 10 lanes of traffic and supporting future light-rail transportation. In addition, the bridge must maximize openness and green space and provide new opportunities for recreation and reflection. Similar projects usually require four to five years to complete. FIGG has no such luxury. Mn/DOT has determined that the temporary loss of this vital interstate connector over the Mississippi River will have a negative economic impact resulting in business losses of $400,000 to $1 million a day. With those figures in mind, officials have set a target project completion deadline of Dec. 24, 2008. “It took an intense team effort to accomplish the design quickly with multiple levels of quality control that ensure long-term safety and sustainability,” says Figg of the project, which is now under construction. The site has many unique challenges that required special design considerations, including alignment geom- etry to ensure that the vertical and horizontal profiles of the bridge align with and enhance the existing approach roadways, foundation configurations and construction techniques. Other design issues include a site under the bridge where dredged river soil is deposited, two large storm water outfalls, a historic wall that must be preserved and a railroad track. “All of these challenges are being met with a special emphasis on multiple levels of structural redundancy, low maintenance and a design that provides a high-tech, high-performance concrete bridge,” explains Figg. JULY / AUGUST 2008

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Engineering Inc. - July/August 2008 Table of Contents From ACEC to You News & Notes Market Watch Legislative Action Congressman Kendrick Meek Going Global 2008 Professional Liability Insurance Survey Bridging the Gap 2008 Convention Wrap Up 2008-2009 Executive Committee 2008 Fall Conference Primer Business Insights Members in the News One on One

Engineering Inc. - July/August 2008

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