Project Description

Dutra once again is part of the replacement of The San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge Eastern Span, a bridge that serves as a vital link between San Francisco and the East Bay. The bridge replacement is the largest public works project in California history.

Seventeen years later the American Bridge/Fluor Joint Venture was awarded the contract for constructing a segment of the new eastern span, the Self Anchored Suspension (SAS) Span. The Self Anchored Suspension Span is the longest single-tower self- anchored suspension bridge in the world. Dutra contracted with American Bridge/Fluor to construct the temporary foundations for supporting the installation of the bridge superstructure and more recently to install the fender system around the base of the pier that supports the main tower.

The fender system design required the installation of sixteen precast concrete segments around the base of the pier, each segment weighing up to 360,000 pounds. The fender segments were cast in Dutra’s Alameda waterside facility, loaded onto barges, and transported to site for installation. Onsite, Dutra first installed steel falsework around the pier to temporarily support the precast segments. Then Dutra’s heavy lift Derrick Barge Paula Lee was used to set them into position. The installation required detailed planning due to the weight of the precast segments in combination with the limited clearance underneath the new bridge. Once the segments were in position a cast in place concrete closure pour was made connecting the precast to the existing pier followed by the removal of the falsework.

Project Description

Brannan Street Wharf is a new public park located in the center of the emerging South Beach waterfront in the Port of San Francisco. The wharf was constructed over water and is supported by 220 piles. The cast-in-place deck is 57,000 square feet. It provides a 400 foot long lawn area, a waterside walkway with seating, and a shade structure for the public.

Major Challenges

The site is located in a high traffic urban area on the San Francisco Embarcadero, with pedestrians, streetcars, automobile traffic, and restaurants requiring traffic control. To minimize intrusion Dutra mobilized all large equipment and materials by water. Port traffic included the America Cup’s active wharf adjacent to the project, and cruise ship traffic. Construction adjacent to existing seawall and other structures required careful construction measures and monitoring. This included the use of a bubble curtain during pile driving operations.

Project Scope

• Repaired and strengthened 1,000 feet concrete bulkhead seawall.
• Removed 8,200 square feet and 84 supporting piles of existing bulkhead wharf.
• Constructed 57,000 square foot of cast-inplace decking.
• Constructed a 23,500 square foot raised lawn area.
• Reconstructed a 4,400 square foot addition to Embarcadero promenade.
• Pile driving – 220 new piles