Project Details
Client: Southern California Edison
Location: Sequoia National Park, California
Type: Passive Recreation & Bridge
Completion Date: 2003
Construction Cost: $150,000
Interesting Fact: This project was recognized by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) with a Engineering Excellence National Honor Award in 2004.
View other projects in this expertise
In February of 2003, Blair, Church & Flynn Consulting Engineers (BCF) was hired by MCS Construction (MCS) to design a new footbridge at the existing Potwisha Crossing over the Kaweah River, Southeast of Visalia, California, in the Sequoia National Park. The existing footbridge was damaged in the fall of 2002 by debris carried down the river during a heavy rain storm. BCF was challenged to design a segmented structure with the strength of steel and the looks of timber, all with materials that were portable enough to be carried by hand to a remote location for erection. The real bottom line - the project needed to happen for no more than $150,000 and it had go from design concept to ribbon cutting in four months.
Considerations were given to aesthetics, environmental issues, cost, constructability and maintenance criteria, but the real driving design force was satisfying the National Parks Service non-negotiable prerequisite that the structure be primarily redwood. Working with MCS, BCF developed unique design solutions that facilitated MCS’s work in the remote site. Critical design issues included material selection, weight and availability; site accessibility and component mobility; equipment limitations and temporary preservation of the existing damaged bridge as a construction platform; and innovative use of natural elements to eliminate the need for importing concrete to the site.
Through hard work, a common vision and constant collaboration by everyone, a dangerous eyesore was removed from a heavily traveled stretch of the Sequoia National Park trail system and replaced with a safe, beautiful, cost-effective pedestrian suspension bridge. The completed structure spans a total of 135-feet, 100-feet from tower to tower, has a 42-inch wide deck and clears the Kaweah River at center span by nearly 20-feet.
The design solution was completed within the limited time schedule, while meeting the demanding budget, and to the complete satisfaction of MCS, Southern California Edison and the National Park Service. Ultimately, as a testament to everyone’s commitment and determination, the entire project was delivered to SCE for 10% less than the original budget.