Ghirardelli Associates provided a Construction Engineer who was responsible for inspection and office engineering on this $90 million dollar project. Constructed in 1962, the Benicia-Martinez Bridge carries Route 680 traffic over the Carquinez Strait between the cities of Benicia in Solano County and Martinez in Contra Costa County. Currently, over 90,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day. The retrofit program included replacing the existing steel bearings with isolation bearings, adding a new tapered exterior concrete jacket to most of the piers and adding additional caissons with tie down anchors. Other work was done to strengthen the approach columns and widen the column footings, place larger expansion joints at the abutments and strengthen the steel members which comprise the truss structure.

Services Provided: Inspection and Office Engineering

Project requirements: Responsible for of all of the micropile operations on this major retrofit project. The retrofit work involves strengthening all aspects of the substructure and superstructure of the bridge.

Ghirardelli Associates provides a lead bridge engineer in charge of all of the micropile operations on this major retrofit project. The micropile operations are an essential part of the substructure retrofit. The work involves coring through existing foundations and installing a 12 3/4 inch steel casing with an 8 5/8 inch reinforcing pipe, embedded 50 feet into bedrock at the bottom of the San Francisco Bay. The full length of the pile is pressure grouted and bonded to the existing foundation to provide tension and compression capacity during a seismic event. Since the micropile operations are underwater, all of the construction is performed from specially designed floating platforms with divers providing under water surveys. We provide technical leadership and supervision to a staff of 12 engineers and inspectors, and ensures that the micropile operations, which makes up over 10% of the construction cost, is completed to meet the contract plans and specifications and the design intent of the retrofit. We also resolve all claims, RFI's, construction and design issues and handles all CCOís related to the micropiles.

In addition, we provided an Assistant Structure Representative for the precast operations on this major retrofit project. Our portion of the work consists of inspecting precast products for the project at the Contractor's precast facility in Petaluma, CA and includes the installation of epoxy coated steel, concrete fabrication and quality assurance, drill and bond dowels, grout injection and pay estimates.

Services Provided: Bridge representative and bridge inspection.

Project requirements: To assist the State in a wide variety of structure construction engineering, inspection, and administrative functions for construction contracts.

Ghirardelli Associates provided a structures inspector for this $12M bridge replacement project on State Route 198. The project involved constructing a new 480 feet long, three spanned prestressed box girder bridge to replace an existing three spanned I-girder bridge, 150 feet above Horse Creek to realign Route 198. The construction involved blasting the hillside for the realignment as well as blasting to excavate for new foundations. Ghirardelli Associates inspected all aspects of: the bridge replacement project including, structure excavation (blasting), embankment construction, reinforcing and concrete placement, traffic control, Fish and Game permit compliance, Army Corp. permit compliance and SWPPP compliance. Ghirardelli Associates performed construction surveying to verify alignments and grades, coordinated material testing and coordinated with Caltrans Geotechnical Branch for rock quality verification after blasting. We were the sole structures inspector on the project responsible for ensuring that the construction was completed in accordance with the contract plans and specifications.

Services Provided: Structures inspection

Project requirements: Bridge widening and interchange remodel. Project involved electrical inspection, underground inspection, constructed under Caltrans oversight and included night work.

Ghirardelli Associates provided the resident engineer for this $4M project to widen the overcrossing for John Daly Boulevard at I-280 in Daly City, CA. The project involved Federal funding and City funds. We were responsible for both field and office management of the 210-calendar day project adjacent to a new commercial development. Traffic control, structures construction methods, night work, and matching existing conditions are project challenges that Ghirardelli Associates met successfully.

Services Provided: Resident engineer, bridge inspection, civil inspection

Project requirements: Provide structural inspection services for this bridge replacement project on State Route 198.

The project involved constructing a new 480 feet long, three spanned prestressed box girder bridge to replace an existing three spanned I-girder bridge, 150 feet above Horse Creek to realign Route 198. The Construction involved blasting the hillside for the realignment as well as blasting to excavate for new foundations. Ghirardelli Associates engineer inspected all aspects of the bridge replacement project including, structure excavation (blasting), embankment construction, reinforcing and concrete placement, traffic control, Fish and Game permit compliance, Army Corp. permit compliance and SWPPP compliance. We performed construction surveying to verify alignments and grades, coordinated material testing and coordinated with Caltrans Geotechnical Branch for rock quality verification after blasting. Ghirardelli's engineer was the sole structures inspector on the project responsible for ensuring that the construction was completed in accordance with the contract plans and specifications.

Services Provided: Civil Inspection