Main Street Bridge Replacement Over Murrieta Creek
Award
Description
Spanning Murrieta Creek since the end of World War II, the Main Street Bridge was a reinforced concrete structure that lacked adequate shoulders, pedestrian walkways, and safety railings. Worse still, its permanent support piers rested in the creek bed below, leaving them vulnerable to heavy scour and debris that collected during floods. The support beams would frequently collect large volumes of debris caught in the current, disrupting the flow of the creek and increasing the potential for flooding.
As part of a larger plan to address flood control in the area, the City of Temecula resolved to replace the Main Street Bridge. It was imperative that the new bridge could weather the region’s historic flooding, provide safe access to both motorists and pedestrians, and allow for the planned expansion of the creek bed below by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
Keeping form and function at the forefront the consultant team, led by Kleinfelder|Simon Wong Engineering, designed a single-span, steel truss superstructure with separate pedestrian walkways and architectural enhancements to match the historic surroundings of the Old Town Temecula District. Made of weathering steel, the bridge segments have a “rusted” appearance to match the aesthetics of Old Town Temecula. The new structure is a welcome addition to Main Street and provides a safer thoroughfare for cars, pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians.
