MILESTONES

FEATURE ARTICLE

Parker Boulevard Complete Streets Project

TONAWANDA, NEW YORK, USA

Construction has begun on the Parker Boulevard Complete Streets Initiative from Englewood Avenue to Sheridan Drive in Tonawanda, New York. TYLin’s design increases accessibility while reducing vehicular speeds and conflict points to enhance safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and automobiles. Services included planning, public outreach, preliminary and final design, and cost estimating.

An extensive public outreach program led us to hold a two-day “Tactical Urbanism” event, where we temporarily applied elements of the proposed design to a two-block segment, including a mock miniroundabout at Decatur Road. The event garnered additional feedback and community buy-in.

TYLin also assisted the Town’s grant writer in securing a funding source for construction through the Transportation Alternatives Program and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (TAP/CMAQ) Program administered by the New York State Department of Transportation. The construction contract was awarded to Nova Site Company in early August. The project is one of New York State’s first fully designed Complete Streets treatments and includes three mini-roundabouts to be constructed at the intersections of Englewood Avenue, Decatur Road, and Harrison Avenue.

The Englewood Avenue roundabout corrects poor geometry and perceived safety risk while realigning a crossing of the Tonawanda Rails-to-Trails. The Decatur Road roundabout replaces an unwarranted and outdated traffic signal and emphasizes visibility and safety at a high pedestrian volume location in the middle of a large town park. In addition, vehicular travel lanes along the entire corridor are being narrowed to add continuous bicycle lanes in both directions and a parking lane along the southbound side of the street.

TYLin is providing office support to the Town and its onsite construction inspector during the construction phase. This project is expected to be the model for future Complete Streets projects throughout the Town of Tonawanda and Erie County.

TYLIN TEAM

Mark Bellavia Christine Bianchi Meaghan Capuano, PE Cory Hallisey Dennis Kennelly, PE Michael Melino, NICET IV Kaley Ostanek, NICET IV Christopher Sargeant, PE

Rendering of one of the mini-roundabouts to be featured on the Parker Boulevard Complete Streets Project.

Ribbon-Cutting Celebration for El Portal Undercrossing

ENCINITAS, CALIFORNIA, USA

On August 14, TYLin joined residents and local leaders from the City of Encinitas, California, and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) to celebrate the grand opening of the new El Portal Undercrossing.

The new undercrossing is the first safe and legal pedestrian and bicycle crossing of the North County Transit District railroad tracks along this 2.5-mile stretch between Leucadia Boulevard and Encinitas Boulevard. It connects residents on the west to the local elementary school across the street and residents on the east to businesses and the beach within walking distance to the west.

TYLin began its involvement in the El Portal Undercrossing project in the late 2000s, serving as the prime engineering consultant from the planning stage through final design and construction. The bridge was constructed using accelerated bridge construction that allowed the entire structure to be installed in one weekend closure of the railroad.

The aesthetics of the undercrossing were an integral part of the design. Designed with an architectural form liner, the retaining walls include frames blocked out for the future installation of mosaic tiles to be created by a local artist in cooperation with students from the local elementary school. The project had a construction cost of USD 7 million and was funded through an Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant and local funds.

The grand opening of the new El Portal Undercrossing was met with great excitement and enthusiastic use. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, residents used it to reach the local farmers market, and some people even carried their surfboards past the podium on their way to the beach.

Residents and city officials gathered on the west side of the undercrossing to celebrate the grand opening.

AMTRAK PACIFIC SURFLINER CROSSING THE NEW BRIDGE AT THE EL PORTAL UNDERCROSSING

LOOKING NORTH ALONG NORTH COAST HIGHWAY 101, ACROSS THE ENTRANCE TO THE UNDERCROSSING

100% Design Milestone at Port Everglades

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA, USA

In early August, TYLin and its consultant team reached the 100% design milestone on the first two bulkhead replacement projects at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. These Group 1 projects involve the replacement of close to 3,500 feet of bulkhead walls at Berths 3, 2, 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D (BERTHS) and the North Bulkhead at the Entrance Channel (NBEC).

The combined estimated construction cost is USD 53 million. TYLin will provide bid and award, post-design, and CEI services during the 2-year construction phase starting in 2023.

The BERTHS are in Northport and face Terminal 2. They are used by Princess Cruise Lines and Holland America Lines, and face the newly expanded Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward County Convention Center, now under construction. The NBEC faces the port’s entrance channel. While each project employs different bulkhead systems and have unique challenges, they both call for the new bulkhead walls to be built in front of the existing structures.

The bulkhead walls for the BERTHS are 2243 feet long. Engineering the first 100 feet of the bulkhead walls was the most challenging due to conflicts with existing toewalls, soil anchors, five existing high-capacity bollard foundations (HCBs), and one new HCB for Disney Cruise Lines. The NBEC involves a close to 1250-foot-long cantilevered wall system. It follows the perimeter of a large, landlocked grass area fronting several homes and a 17-story condominium tower.

Environmental constraints include waterside construction, mitigation of impacts on seagrasses, and avoiding a sea turtle nesting site. Engineering determinants include a varying mudline elevation and high scour and wall undermining potential from strong tidal currents and vessel wakes. An extended concrete cap to encase the sheet piles’ splash and tidal zones will protect them from corrosion. Erosion and scour protection are provided using a concrete mattress placed at the mudline and a 3-foot concrete apron landside on-grade and right next to the new bulkhead cap.

Existing NBEC, photo taken from SW corner of the NBEC facing west towards the Port’s harbor.

Holland America cruise ship moored at existing Berth 3 facing north.

New Acquest Warehouse Completed

SHEPHERD ROAD, NEW YORK, USA

TYLin has completed the design and construction for another warehouse for Acquest Development in New York. Services provided included architectural design, code compliance services, and civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering services for approximately 260,000 square feet of warehouse space and 20,000 square feet of office and accessory use space.

The project is on a close to 66-acre site and includes 79 loading docks and parking for approximately 440 personal vehicles and 300 trailers. The building is a concrete slab-on-grade structure with structural steel columns and roof framing with perimeter structural precast walls.

This is a Sustainable Design pilot project for Acquest’s confidential client, with electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure for approximately 75 future personal vehicles and 20 future semi-trailer charging stations.

New Acquest warehouse on Shepherd Road in New York.

BAYSHORE BIKEWAY, MULTIPLE SEGMENTS SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA LAWA ON-CALL CIVIL ENGINEERING DESIGN SERVICES LOS ANGELES, CA

DIVISION 20 PORTAL WIDENING AND TURNBACK FACILITY LOS ANGELES, CA SOUTH BAY RAPID (SEGMENT 2) CHULA VISTA, CA SR-4 WIDENING AND INTERCHANGE IMPROVEMENTS (SEGMENT 3) CONTRA COSTA COUNTY (ANTIOCH), CA

Connecting people, places, & ideas

Muskegon Museum of Art Expansion

MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN, USA

Originally opened in 1912, the Muskegon Museum of Art in Muskegon, Michigan, is currently undergoing its first expansion in 30 years. Silman, A TYLin Company, is providing structural engineering services for a two-story, 22,000-square-foot addition that will more than double the museum’s exhibition space, allowing it to showcase more of its 5000-piece collection. A new north-facing entrance, rotating galleries, and a roof terrace will all help to elevate the visitor experience. There will also be a dedicated space for works created by women artists. The project is expected to be completed by 2024.

The museum addition will be steel framed with a concrete composite acoustic deck. The lateral system consists of steel braced frames and concrete masonry unit (CMU) shear walls. Silman considered the deflection and vibration of structural slabs to ensure adequate stiffness and minimize cracking of the polished concrete gallery floor finishes. Careful consideration of fire separation was also required. Silman designed for several fire conditions to allow for varying structural elements to break away to contain a fire and minimize damage.

Muskegon, located about three hours away from Silman’s offices in Chicago, Illinois, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, is the most populous city along Michigan’s western shore. Since expanding to the Midwest in 2019, Silman has been able to provide services to longtime East Coast clients like Annum Architects in a wider geographic area.

This project has also benefitted from Silman’s expertise in new additions to existing adjacent buildings, particularly cultural institutions. Other Midwest projects on the boards include the revitalization of Michigan Central Station in Detroit, a structural study of the Illinois State Capitol Dome in Springfield, and several private residences.

INSIGHTS

New Insights Article on Bridge Technology

Our latest thought-leadership article in the Insights section of TYLin.com is “Understanding Bridge Technology” by Marwan Nader, PhD, PE, Bridge Sector Leader for TYLin’s Americas Region. In his article, Marwan says, “Bridges are iconic structures that connect our communities and act as an economic engine through the transport of people and goods.”

Unfortunately, forces such as extreme weather events are threatening lifespan bridges in the US and around the world. Learn how some of the latest advancements in bridge technology will allow us to build and restore bridge infrastructure with a balance of both profitability and longevity.

COMING IN FALL 2022

Papers authored by Dr. Marwan Nader will be published in the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) (UK) Bridge Engineering Journal. This year’s theme is “Major bridge replacement projects in North America.”

This special edition of the journal will include Marwan’s papers on the Samuel De Champlain Bridge in Montréal, Québec, Canada, and the San FranciscoOakland Bay Bridge New East Span in Oakland, California.

ICE provides professional support to 95,000 civil engineer members worldwide. Special issues are published twice yearly and are devoted to a single engineering topic.