T.Y. Lin/CH2M Hill Team Completes
Design, Construction of Benicia-Martinez Bridge

The joint-venture team of T.Y. Lin International/CH2M HILL reported that it has completed design and construction support services for the new Benicia-Martinez Bridge. The new high-level long-span bridge will provide traffic congestion relief to the 100,000 daily vehicles that cross Interstate 680.

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Joining the team as principals on the $1 billion, much-delayed project is the owner, Caltrans; general contractor, Kiewit Pacific; construction engineer, Parsons; and post-tensioning supplier, Schwager Davis.

In addition, the bridge is a designated “lifeline structure,” which has been designed to remain open to emergency traffic following a major seismic event.

Spanning the Carquinez Straits between Contra Costa and Solano counties, the new toll bridge is 7,400 ft in total length and encompasses 22 spans, including 12 over water. The T.Y. Lin International/CH2M HILL team says it worked closely with Caltrans and Kiewit Pacific to successfully complete the many design innovations of the new prestressed concrete segmental box girder bridge.

The project included:

• Construction of a new five-lane bridge (four mixed-flow lanes one slow-vehicle lane), east of the existing bridge and rail span with provisions to accommodate future light rail;

• Construction of a new nine-booth toll plaza – including one carpool bypass lane, two open road tolling lanes and accommodation for electronic toll collection – as well as an administration building at the southern approach to the new bridge in Contra Costa County;

•  Reconstruction of the Interstate 680 interchanges at I-780 in Benicia and Marina Vista/Waterfront Road in Martinez to accommodate the new bridge and toll plaza;

• Modifications of the existing bridge to accommodate four mixed-flow lanes of southbound traffic and two-way bicycle/pedestrian lane;

• And restoration of a 22.8 acre parcel of tidal marsh in the City of Benicia

“The opening of the new Benicia-Martinez Bridge to the public is the culmination of a successful team effort,” says T.Y. Lin International Project Manager Mirek Olmer. “In building this remarkable structure, each team member contributed their expertise to solve the challenges inherent in such a large and seismically sensitive project,”

Unique design features include the use of high-performance light-weight concrete in the superstructure to reduce the structure’s mass and seismic demand. Normal-weight concrete was used in pile caps, pier shafts, and the pier table to provide greater seismic resistance. Among the more challenging design tasks were the eleven 1,700-ton pier footings that support the bridge, each of which rests on piles drilled as deep as 254 ft into
the rock.

The overall design of the bridge reflects a functional and modern aesthetic. Functionality extends to enhanced traffic movement where use of the Bay Area’s first FasTrak® Open Road Tolling Express Lanes at the Martinez toll plaza will allow electronic collection of tolls from FasTrak® equipped vehicles as they travel at highway speeds.

“Our team applied many of the most innovative ideas in bridge engineering and construction to ensure that the people of California have a state-of-the-art structure that will serve them well for many years,” says CH2M HILL Deputy Project Manager Tom Post.

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