The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Region 8 has honored the Tonquin Avenue Bridge project with the Minor Project of the Year Award.
This award recognizes the top project completed in 2011 with a total constructed value of less than $10 million that:
- Improves the quality of life of people affected by the project,
- Contributes to the project area’s economic development and
- Demonstrates environmental responsibility by incorporating sustainable development practices.
The Tonquin Avenue Bridge is located in Ocean Shores, a coastal town in southwestern Washington State. In 2006, the 40-year-old timber bridge over Lake Minard Canal was closed by the City of Ocean Shores because its pilings were failing and its timbers were rotting. In 2008, the City decided to replace the old bridge, which had been a part of the coastal communities’ tsunami escape route.
GeoEngineers was subcontracted by AECOM to provide geotechnical engineering and environmental permitting services for the project. In the process, GeoEngineers furthered the project objectives of minimizing project costs and lessening impacts to the environment and to the public during bridge construction.
Our geotechnical team assessed the feasibility of using shallow and deep bridge foundations and developed preliminary recommendations to support AECOM’s type, size and location study for the new structure. GeoEngineers also developed final design recommendations for the selected design.
GeoEngineers provided comprehensive environmental permitting compliance with National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) by coordinating with WSDOT Highways and Local Programs and the Federal Highways Administration. In addition, we provided State of Washington environmental compliance for the bridge project, including shoreline permit approval and fish and wildlife hydraulic permit approval.
The bridge replacement project was one of the first pilot projects of the Greenroads Foundation, a non-profit organization that manages certification reviews for roadway and bridge projects, using its Greenroads™ Rating System, a sustainability-rating system for roadway design and construction.
To learn more about the Tonquin Avenue Bridge replacement project, visit its project profile.
