SCI was selected as the structural engineer for a prominent, yet long-time debated, new roadway, the Sabino Canyon Extension to Kolb Road. A substantial portion of the project consisted of the bridge over the Pantano Wash, since named the Airmen Memorial Bridge. The bridge is a four-span, 354-foot long prestressed, precast concrete girder bridge with concrete pier caps and columns founded on drilled shaft deep foundations.
Immediately north of the Airmen Memorial Bridge is a 16-span, 623-foot long, cast-in-place concrete flat slab bridge over the west edge of Mullins Landfill. Drilled shaft pier foundations, the local industry standard for bridge substructure, were originally recommended by the geotechnical engineer to provide bearing in the underlying native soils. When a second geotechnical investigation was required, criteria for steel piles were included at SCI’s request. Following approval of construction documents that included the drilled shaft foundation, the contractor was encouraged to value engineer a steel displacement pile system, which SCI ultimately designed under contract with the General Contractor. As a result, the City of Tucson realized several hundred thousand dollars in savings and eliminated the risks associated with the extraction and relocation of tons of waste material.
