INSIDE/OUT ISSUE 66
SUMMER
NEWSLETTER
JULY 2017
Southern Nevada’s Mobility Training Center—A Ride to Safe, Efficient Travel on the Transit System This $6.7 million project was recently awarded the 2017 Project of the Year – Structures $5 million to $10 million from the American Public Works Association, Nevada Chapter.
Desert hues were part of the MTC’s exterior design. Photo courtesy of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.
Independently navigating the community via public transportation can be challenging, especially for senior citizens and persons with disabilities. Understanding the overall transit system, such as schedules and various routes for successful travel, are important. For individuals with mobility devices —such as wheelchairs—learning to board and deboard a bus is essential. These transit mobility skills and many others are offered at the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada’s (RTC) Mobility Training Center (MTC). As a consultant on the project, Louis Berger (including affiliate BergerABAM) provided site civil and structural design services for the 14,700-square-foot facility located next to the RTC’s Sunset Maintenance Facility at Sunset Road and Hauck Street in Southwest Las Vegas. The single-story building contains a real-life city scenario to help residents learn the ropes of the transportation system and how to use the RTC’s fixed-route transit services safely and efficiently. Residents can learn to board the buses safely and pay fares on two accessible full-sized buses situated on a fictitious exterior streetscape with a transit shelter and stop. www.abam.com
To simulate real-life roadway intersection conditions, the MTC includes an intersection designed with actual roadway geometrical conditions, including Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant sidewalks, ramps, curb cutouts, paved roads, and traffic signals with pedestrian lighting and push buttons. A functional assessment course accommodates a variety of surfaces and terrain obstacles. State-of-the-art classrooms for group mobility training and an assessment center are also available in the MTC. Additionally, the RTC’s ADA paratransit eligibility program for seniors and the disabled is headquartered at the MTC. This program determines if an applicant is eligible for the federally mandated paratransit service by evaluating whether or not an applicant possesses the functional ability to access and navigate the RTC’s fixed-route transit service. Featured at the MTC is Angela’s House, part of Blindconnect, a service resource for the visually impaired. (continued on page 2)
To update your contact information, please email newsletter@abam.com EDITORS/CONTRIBUTORS Nora Bretaña, Karen Harbaugh, Lauren Hurst, Jana Roy, Diann Scherer, Renée Stiehl, and Dee Young DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Ailoan Che, Renée Stiehl, and Jana Roy
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As the only blindness skills training facility in Nevada, Angela’s House is a 1,200-square-foot, fully equipped working home. Skills, such as daily living, mobility, personal care, communication, technology, and braille, are taught at Angela’s House. Interior aesthetics of the MTC include impressive murals of areas of Las Vegas and Clark County. Exterior architectural aesthetics were derived from the mountains of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area that can be seen in the distance from the west side of the building. The MTC is intended for public use, so its exterior is differentiated
A true-to-life streetscape sets the stage for training at the MTC. Photo courtesy of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.
from the nonpublic RTC maintenance facility. Striking colors and a prominent entryway make it recognizable to the public.
The City of Bothell—Rebuilding Main Street City of Bothell officials, staff, and the community gathered on Main Street to celebrate the latest milestone of this $7 million downtown revitalization project.
On 4 April 2017, the City of Bothell kicked off the construction of their Main Street enhancement project with a groundbreaking ceremony. City officials, staff, and the community gathered on Main Street to celebrate the latest milestone of this $7 million downtown revitalization project. Bothell Mayor Andy Rheaume asked business owners and residents for patience as construction descends on its two main street avenues (101st and 102nd) for the next seven months. The revitalization project will update the over 100-year-old road—and home to quaint diners and shops reminiscent of the early days of Bothell—by reconstructing the roadways, sidewalks, and utilities. Signature features of the enhancement project will be integrated public gathering spaces, wider pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, new bicycle racks, and safer and easier access to local businesses. In addition, there will be a complete overhaul of the utility system; travel lanes will be reconstructed; and sidewalks, landscaping, and drainage will be improved. The design includes flexible parking on both sides of the street and flush sidewalks so that the parking strip can be converted into outdoor dining or retail space during the warmer months. BergerABAM is working closely with the City to deliver this project to the community, which received nearly $5 million from the Transportation Improvement Board last fall, greenlighting the construction phase. The BergerABAM team provided overall project management, civil engineering, utility coordination, cost estimating, environmental permitting, public involvement, urban design and landscape architecture, survey and base mapping, cultural resources, and construction support.
A view of the upcoming enhancements to Bothell’s Main Street.
This project has two phases. The first phase involves improving Main Street between Bothell Way NE and 102nd Avenue NE. The second phase improves Main Street between 102nd Avenue NE and 104th Avenue NE/Kaysner Way. In addition, BergerABAM has completed and addressed the conceptual streetscape design for the corridor between Bothell Way NE and 104th Avenue NE/Kaysner Way. These improvements will integrate the historic district with the planned development in downtown areas, including the Northshore School District site and Bothell Way NE boulevard. Pedestrian access to (continued on page 3)
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storefronts will be maintained during most of the construction, but the City is encouraging business owners to make use of their rear entrances for customers. It has been a long haul for the City. In the midst of their revitalization efforts, a fire on 24 July 2016 consumed one of the City’s oldest buildings, as well as other buildings on Main Street. This setback, however, did not discourage the City, its businesses, or its residents from continuing with the project. The City plans to complete construction of Phase 1 by November of this year, just in time for their annual holiday festivities.
Pictured from left to right are Tris Samberg, Mick Caplis, James McNeal, Davina Duerr, Andy Rheaume, Greg Armstrong, Nancy Pipinich, and Nduta Mbuthia at the Main Street enhancement groundbreaking ceremony.
Duportail Bridge: Defining the Term for the City of Richland It has been the City of Richland’s top civic priority over the last 10 years. A bridge. An uncomplicated kind of bridge. The City is in need of a link, connecting the patchwork of commerce, transportation, and access between two adjacent neighborhoods separated by the Yakima River. The City’s solution? A concrete structure, connecting existing roadways, parks, and commerce on both sides of the river.
Multicolored river rock provides an aeshetically pleasing element.
The City contracted with BergerABAM to provide planning, structural engineering, environmental services, public involvement, and construction management services. BergerABAM is currently developing detailed engineering plans, confirming compliance with environmental regulations, and obtaining City permits. The construction process will be organized around limited in-water work windows within the river to avoid and/or minimize impacts to fish species and their habitat. Recognizing the important connection the bridge will provide between central and south Richland, the Richland
The City of Richland anticipates the Duportail Bridge will be open to traffic in the summer of 2020. City Council asked the Richland Arts Commission to develop and present design features for the bridge. The Arts Commission created a theme aptly named “Connecting Richland.” Working with Stuart Bennion, BergerABAM project manager, the Arts Commission developed a design motif for the bridge that incorporated Tri-Cities area themes, thus, prominent in the design is a sun feature, a mountain mural, river rock, and basalt pillars. Stuart incorporated these artistic elements into the actual bridge design that will include two vehicle travel lanes in each direction, with bicycle lanes and sidewalks on either side. The river rock, consisting of reddish-brown and blue-gray earth tones, visually separates the bridge girders, piers, barriers, and walls. Basalt pillars located at the bridge’s opening and on its sound walls will create an impressive backdrop to the project. Aaron Savage, BergerABAM graphics manager, created a series of artistic renderings that collaboratively incorporated all artistic and design ideas into a series of views into the future. These concepts were presented at a public open house on 17 May 2017 at Richland City Hall. The Duportail Bridge will connect many new businesses in the city’s Queensgate area (south Richland) with the city’s central residents—just one of the many benefits of the new bridge. The bridge will also improve the region’s heavy traffic flow and relieve congestion on (continued on page 4)
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Interstate 182 (I-182), the main highway that travels through Richland. By providing another means of travel in the region, The bridge will include two vehicle travel lanes in each direction with bicycle lanes and the bridge will take thousands of sidewalks on each side. vehicles off I-182, which will help prevent traffic-related injuries and Jay Inslee has signed legislation from the state’s deaths, and save millions of dollars Connecting Washington Program, providing $20 million in potential upgrades to the interstate. The bridge will toward this project. Additionally, the Richland City Council improve access to trails and a boat ramp on the river. members voted 6-0 to impose a $20 car tab fee to create Drivers will save millions of dollars in annual car-related a Transportation Benefit District. This surcharge will begin expenses by 2020, air pollution will be slashed, and the in 2018 to help fund the remainder of the project. Out bridge will keep drinking water supplies flowing to 20,000 of the $20 fee, roughly $8 will go to the Duportail Bridge south Richland households. The bridge will also speed up project, and $12 will go toward repairing and maintaining emergency response times for police and fire crews. city roads, according to Richland City Councilman Brad When it comes to projects of this size and type, public Anderson. funding sources are needed. Washington State Governor
Revitalized Quaywall Plays a Key Role for Trinidad and Tobago Offshore Gas Production BergerABAM’s Houston staff worked on the Berth 2 quaywall project with Soletanche Bachy Cimas, a Colombia-based contractor and its French affiliate, for the National Energy Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago. The original facility was a cellular sheetpile structure, which deteriorated significantly and failed in some locations, affecting berthing operations and necessitating immediate reconstruction. BergerABAM’s reconstruction solution for the quaywall incorporated a tied-back H-Z combi-wall and involved exhaustive geo-structural modeling, analysis, and design. The quaywall was designed for various combinations of soil, surcharge, wave, and seismic loading conditions. Brighton Port’s Berth 2 quay wall facilitates launch of Juniper offshore platform in La Brea, Trinidad and Tobago.
In January 2017, British Petroleum (BP) launched its Juniper platform towards the southeast coast of Trinidad as part of its $2 billion start-up project. The platform topside, fabricated in La Brea, Trinidad (44 meters tall and weighing approximately 4,600 metric tons), was launched over Brighton Port’s reconstructed Berth 2 quaywall that was designed by BergerABAM. The entire launch event was highly covered in local and international media. The reconstructed quaywall serves Panamax-size vessels used for general cargo transfer and has the capability to launch large-sized offshore platform modules similar to the Juniper in the future.
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The topside of the Juniper platform was launched over a specially designed heavy-loading area embedded within the quaywall. The heavy-loading area consists of an independent 24-inch-thick concrete slab supported on 48-inch-diameter steel pipe piles and is designed for a maximum distributed live load of approximately 150 kPa and crawler crane loads. An important design consideration was to provide the required pile geotechnical axial capacities because of the platform loads and prevent overloading of the reconstructed quaywall. As evidenced by the high-profile, seamless launch of the Juniper platform, it is anticipated that the reconstructed Berth 2 quaywall will play a key role in supporting offshore gas production and exploration endeavors.
INSIDE/OUT Newsletter
We are pleased to welcome the following new team members to BergerABAM.
Rachael Wold
Connie Linden
Federal Way Office
Federal Way Office
Rachael Wold is a construction inspector and will be working at various project sites in King and Pierce Counties for BergerABAM’s Public Works and Transportation Department. Her past experience includes serving as materials manager on the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel project in Seattle.
Connie Linden, PE, project manager, has returned to BergerABAM’s Buildings and Transit Department. She has over 18 years of experience in civil engineering design and analysis, a bachelor’s in engineering from Saint Martin’s University, and is a current member and past president of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
James LaPlaca
Michael Oliveria
Federal Way Office
Federal Way Office
James LaPlaca, CAD operator for the Waterfront Department, has over 25 years of experience in CAD drafting, including experience as a CAD project manager and draftsman. James earned his bachelor’s from Seattle University.
Michael Oliveria, a CAD designer for the Public Works and Transportation Department, has experience as a civil and structural designer. He received his degree in computer-aided drafting and design from the ITT Technical Institute.
Fernando Sunago
Daniel Harrison
Las Vegas Office
Vancouver Office
Fernando Sunago, EIT, has joined the Public Works and Transportation Department. Fernando earned his civil engineering bachelor’s and master’s from the University of Nevada, Reno, focusing on earthquake and structural engineering, seismic design, and non-seismic performance of bridges.
Dan Harrison, EIT, is an environmental scientist with experience in environmental consulting and contracting and is part of the Environmental Assessment team. Dan earned his bachelor’s in civil engineering with a concentration in bioresource engineering from Montana State University.
April Ryckman
Grace Harwell
Vancouver Office
Vancouver Office
April Ryckman is an environmental scientist with the Environmental Assessment team. Her experience includes supporting remedial actions to remove contaminated soils and preparing field reports documenting site conditions. April has a bachelor’s in environmental science from the University of Houston.
Grace Harwell is an environmental scientist with the Natural Resources team. She has experience in environmental fieldwork on a variety of commercial and industrial sites. Grace has a bachelor’s in biological sciences and a master’s in oceanography from Louisiana State University.
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