The completed bridge also includes a series of overlooks for pedestrians and cyclists, offering fantastic views of the coastal city and featuring plaques that tell the story of each of America’s wars as well as recogniz- ing the contributions of military veterans who fought in those conflicts. “It has really made this bridge a destination for the local community,” Moon said. “There is an educational circuit that begins on the southeast side and ends on the northwest side, where plans are in place to create Veterans Memorial Park.” The Memorial park plans were also designed by WSP, and although tethered to the bridge project, will be funded and built separately through the support of the county, private donors and veterans’ groups. Veterans Memorial Bridge is the biggest public works project in the history of Volusia County, and that was a responsibility that Moon and Molas both took extremely seriously. “As a design team we wanted to lay it all out there, leave no stone unturned,” Moon said. “We recognized that this was an opportunity that does not come along very often. We committed to it from day one to make it the most it can be, took that approach to everything, and expected the same commitment from everyone involved in the design and construction of the bridge.” Josh Wagner, Volusia County council member and PAC chair, said the community was fortunate to have WSP working on the bridge. “It is clear that WSP’s goal has been to go above and beyond in every aspect of our community project,” Wagner said. “They have been very sensitive of the costs for the project. As with any project, costs are a major concern. We have benefitted from WSP’s extra efforts to find cost reductions.” “The great thing we discovered is that anyone can do something like this,” Moon added. “It didn’t require extraordinary funding; but rather a choice made by the owner to do something special, and a commit- ment to find the best, most efficient ways to make a vision a reality. And equally as important, a philosophical willingness to involve the community in the process as much as possible.”
tional requirements. Though it may not seem like much, it did lower the grade for pedestrians and lowered the overall profile of the bridge. The through-arch design solved a lot of engineering problems for us.” There were some concerns that the contractor may perceive the un- usual precast design approach as risky. So using the same BIM models developed during the bridge design, WSP developed set of 3D design and bridge visualization sheets that clearly showed contractors how to assemble the precast elements. Contractor feedback indicated that the 3D approach to plan production reduced the “contingencies” that contractors carried in their bids. Another way 3D visualization came in handy was with the use of a 3D printer to create a stunning model of the bridge design. “It was one of the best ways to help everyone visualize the bridge before construction began and had an impact far beyond all of our expectations,” Molas said. “There was a visually impaired man that attended every meeting, as well as one on the project advisory com- mittee itself, and when we set up the 3D printed model at one of the meetings, he was able to use his hands to help visualize and understand the shape of the structure. That was an amazing moment. Several visu- ally impaired residents were able to experience what the bridge might look like thanks to the 3D model.” A Community Bridge The bridge design took into account the needs of the region’s senior citizens, and resulted in a bridge that exceeds the requirements of the American’s with Disabilities Act, featuring a lower grade, wider sidewalks, a walkway that connects the north and south sides with an underpass to avoid crossing in traffic, charge stations for scooters and educational signs in braille.
29
july 2020
csengineermag.com
Made with FlippingBook Annual report