Via Avenue and Santa Lucia Road Bridge Replacement Projects
Award
Bridge Project
Description
The Via Avenue and Santa Lucia Road Bridge Replacement Project was the culmination of a comprehensive effort to construct two new bridges owned and maintained by the City of Atascadero. Caltrans had identified both existing bridges in 2008 as being functionally obsolete, with Via Avenue Bridge also structurally deficient. The City of Atascadero, in partnership with Caltrans District 5 Local Assistance and the engineering consultant team led by the Consor, designed and built the replacement bridges to current standards, within a tight construction window, and with aesthetic elements intended to match the character of the surrounding neighborhoods. The City was able to take advantage of the fact that the two bridges are located only 3.7 miles apart to administer and deliver the two bridge replacement projects concurrently. The design team, contractor, and construction manager were all the same for each of the bridge projects, allowing the work to be completed with greater efficiency and reduced costs.
The Via Avenue Bridge Replacement Project replaced the existing bridge built in 1948 (a repurposed steel truss bridge used in Europe during World War II) with a new 74’ long, 48.5’ wide single-span, cast-in-place post-tensioned concrete slab bridge. The new bridge was built on a curved alignment to accommodate the flow of through traffic, and includes 12’ lanes, 8’ shoulders and a sidewalk on the western edge. These improvements reflect the wide variety of users and the importance of the bridge, as it connects an industrial zone to Highway 41, and adjacent residential neighborhoods to community centers, recreation nodes, and schools.
The Santa Lucia Road Bridge is located about 2.6 miles west of Highway 101, in Atascadero. The project replaced the existing bridge, built in 1926, with a new 75’ long, 36’ wide single-span, cast-in-place post-tensioned concrete slab bridge. The Santa Lucia Road bridge is considered critical local infrastructure, serving as the only crossing of Graves Creek on the primary ingress/egress route for a large, high fire hazard area in west Atascadero.
Branch
