CALTROP’s construction management team assisted the City of Santa Monica, in cooperation with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) with reconstructing the California Incline Bridge to meet current seismic standards. The structure was constructed in the 1930’s and connects Santa Monica to the Pacific Coast Highway. The incline extended a distance of approximately 1,400 feet from the intersection of Ocean and California Avenues at the top of the Palisades bluffs to the Pacific Coast Highway (SR-1) at the base of the bluffs. The bridge portion of the incline was 750 feet long and consists of an 8” concrete slab supported on transverse floor beams made of concrete. The project involved removing and replacing the existing sidehill viaduct, which consisted of a 750-foot long reinforced concrete slab bridge bound by road-on-grade at both ends.
The project entailed demolition of the existing bridge and construction of a new bridge at the same location. The new structure includes a wider sidewalk and bicycle lanes. The north and south ends of the incline remain a three-lane roadway that terminates at a signalized intersection. The new bridge consists of a pile supported reinforced concrete slab structure with a width of 52-feet, an increase of 5-feet 8-inches over the existing structure.
Replacement of the bridge with a new structure, built to current seismic standards, corrected deficiencies in the bridge and made it safe for vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian use. The California Incline Replacement also included the replacement of the existing Idaho Trail PCO over the California Incline and the Pedestrian Overcrossing Replacement. Comprehensive public outreach services were provided for these projects. Communications were tailored to the wide variety of constituents in the City including, residents, businesses, commuters and visitors. Community meetings, project open houses, door-to-door business visits and direct mail pieces were coordinated to ensure constituents were aware of the long-term closures and their impacts. Collateral pieces were developed that contain consistent project branding and messaging. These pieces included fact sheets, FAQs, closure and detour maps, informational fliers for hotels to distribute to their guests, promotional pieces for businesses during construction and a weekly construction alert template. Social media was also a key component in our outreach efforts.
AWARD
- 2017 CMAA – Outstanding Project Achievement Award
- 2016 APWA – B.E.S.T. Project of the Year Award
LOCATION: Santa Monica, CA
CLIENT: City of Santa Monica
PROJECT VALUE: $20 million
PROJECT FEATURES
- Sidehill Viaduct Replacement Bike Lane and Sidewalk Construction
SERVICES PROVIDED
- Construction Management
- Public Outreach