Company:

FivePoint

Status:

Awarded

Awarded:

Bridge Project of the Year

Additional Files

Additional Information

We hope the summaries provided above will be sufficient for the Committee

Irvine Boulevard Pedestrian Bridge

Project Location:

The Irvine Boulevard Pedestrian Bridge spans Irvine Boulevard, and is on the easterly side of the Ridge Valley intersection.

Project Description:

This is a streamlined, 4-span structural steel girder bridge with a cast-in-place, concrete slab deck pedestrian and bicycle path. The path is 11 feet wide and protected by a 4.5-foot high barrier.  The bridge is 282 feet long and fully ADA compliant.  The alignment of the crossing provides for a continuation of the Class I trail that is located on the easterly side of Ridge Valley, south of Irvine Boulevard and on the west side of Ridge Valley, north of Irvine Boulevard.

The bridge structure consists of twin high strength 14”x 30” steel wide flange girders that weigh a combined total of 160,000 pounds.  Because of span distances in the Irvine Boulevard roadway right of way width and the adjacent Orange County Flood Control District (OCFCD) property, support requirements mandated 5 separate structural steel frames, which are from 30 to 43 feet in height. In turn, these frames are supported on 63 cast-in-drilled-hole concrete piles of between 30 and 50 feet in depth. Each pile is designed to carry between 41,000 to 96,000 pounds depending on the depth of embedment.  The bridge girders and support frames are completely concealed with architectural panels that are supported by a cold-formed steel stud framing support system, complementing the streamlined design.

Project Justification:

The Irvine Boulevard pedestrian bridge is an iconic link between two of Great Park Neighborhoods master-planned community’s newest neighborhoods, Beacon Park and Pavilion Park. As part of the City of Irvine’s Master Landscape and Trails Plan system of bikeways and trails, it connects residential areas, schools, recreational facilities and open space uses. More than a utilitarian structure crossing a major street, it is a symbol of the unique, modern design of the communities it connects, and significantly enhances the pedestrian and bike-friendly environments of the City of Irvine.

A signature feature is how light and narrow the walkway spans are between gateways. Typically, large bulky trusses are used to span bridges of this length, but here, the structural support is hidden within the walkway railings, generating a distinctive, sleek design that hovers over the road below. The metal siding of the gateways provides a solid anchor for the bridge, while the wood panels at walking height provide bridge users with a softer, human scale. And while the bridge was created for safe pedestrian and bicycle passage from point to point, it is also a destination in itself. At night, the bridge provides a glowing beacon for its travelers, with lighting strategically located to illuminate the grand vertical gateways and to guide walkers, runners, and bikers along the pathway.

Special Circumstances:

The bridge has generated positive relationships in a diverse population. It links families living north of Irvine Boulevard to the Orange County Great Park. Students of Irvine Unified School District’s new schools access the bridge on a daily basis, specifically those attending the new Beacon Park School K-8 campus, and the students of Portola High School. The bridge’s striking design, human scale and user-friendly design and construction for those on foot or bicycle, promotes positive human interaction that will only continue to benefit the community.

Numerous and complex challenges posed multiple issues for the project’s design and construction teams. Their challenge was to develop and implement modern engineering design solutions that would integrate with appropriate construction methods, and to complete the project on an accelerated schedule (approximately 7 months from first meeting to opening date) and on budget. The design team provided a unique design that would complement the varied American architectural palette of the surrounding Great Park Neighborhoods, while at the same time meeting all required structural design elements. The construction team met the great challenge of sequencing construction over an active major arterial (Irvine Boulevard) that remained open virtually throughout the construction process, to vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle use.

The bridge was opened August 19, and immediately earned favorable response and hundreds of daily users. The mayor of Irvine commended the project in ribbon cutting ceremonies; see https://youtu.be/AWbjE6IX0XY

Project Attachments:

please see the credits and narratives included in required fields.

Award Citation::

The Irvine Boulevard Pedestrian Bridge generates an iconic link between Orange County Great Park and Great Park Neighborhoods, enhancing Irvine’s pedestrian and bike-friendly environments.

The 4-span structural steel girder design is 282 feet long, sleek and lightweight.  Thoughtful design and construction resolved multiple challenges for safe completion over an active major arterial. Facilitating safe travel for pedestrians and bicyclists, it is a striking destination in itself.

Suggested Award Summary:

As part of the City of Irvine’s Master Landscape and Trails Plan system of bikeways and trails, the Irvine Boulevard Pedestrian Bridge connects residential areas, schools, recreational facilities and open space. An iconic link between Orange County Great Park and the Great Park Neighborhoods master-planned community, it enhances the City of Irvine’s pedestrian and bike-friendly environments with striking, modern design.

Spanning Irvine Boulevard, the streamlined, 4-span structural steel girder design is 282 feet long.  It features a cast-in-place, concrete slab deck pedestrian and bicycle path that is 11 feet wide, protected by a 4.5-foot high barrier and fully ADA compliant. The crossing alignment provides for a continuation of Ridge Valley’s Class I trail.

Twin high strength 14”x30” steel wide flange girders weigh a combined total of 160,000 pounds. Support requirements mandated 5 separate structural steel frames of 30 to 43 feet in height. These are supported on 63 cast-in-drilled-hole concrete piles of between 30 and 50 feet in depth, designed to carry between 41,000 to 96,000 pounds.  Girders and support frames are completely concealed with architectural panels that are supported by a cold-formed steel stud framing support system.

Typically, large bulky trusses are used to span bridges of this length. Here, structural support is hidden within walkway railings, generating a distinctively sleek design that hovers over the road below. The metal siding of the gateways provides a solid anchor, while wood panels at walking height provide bridge users with a softer, human scale. Allowing pedestrians and bicyclists to travel safely from point to point, the bridge is also a destination in itself. At night, it offers a glowing beacon for its travelers, with lighting that illuminates the grand vertical gateways to guide walkers, runners, and bikers along the pathway.

The project design and construction teams overcame multiple and complex challenges, developing modern engineering design solutions that would integrate with appropriate construction methods, on schedule, on budget and sequenced for safe completion over an active major arterial. The unique design meets all required structural design elements, and complements the American architectural palette of the surrounding Great Park Neighborhoods.