Design work begins on San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge

Design work is underway on the east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge replacement. Upon completion, this will be the world’s largest self-anchored suspension bridge. Construction is expected to begin in 2008; completion is scheduled for 2013.

As part of the American Bridge team, Klohn Crippen Berger, Vancouver, B.C., is responsible for a major portion of the main-span erection engineering.

“We have a reputation for completing challenging projects,” said Project Manager Bruce Hamersley.

The two firms recently partnered on the world’s first design-build seismic retrofit of a major bridge, the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver.

Self-anchored suspension bridges require the bridge deck to be in place on falsework before suspension cables can be installed. Klohn Crippen Berger is providing structural and geotechnical design for 16 falsework towers in San Francisco Bay, which include provisions for seismic and ship-impact loading. The firm is also handling erection-staging analysis of the steel box girders.