OCTOBER 2014ISSUE 55 AUTUMN

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Celebrating the Completion of the13-Year Hood River Waterline Project

To mark the completion of the 13-year Hood River water infrastructure project, BergerABAM and contractor, MEI Group Construction, hosted a celebration for all those that contributed to this successful project. Held at the scenic Marchesi Vineyard and Winery located along the route of the pipeline in the City of Hood River, Oregon, it was a celebration of a long-term project noted for the teamwork between the community, city and state politicians, and BergerABAM and MEI Group.

The City of Hood River, a rural town of a little more than 7,000 residents located at the juncture of the Hood and Columbia Rivers, is known for its outdoor recreation, wineries, and breweries, with vineyards and orchards surrounding the city. In addition, it had begun to attract business in the form of software engineering and technology. Established in 1895, the city needed to update its over 85-year-old water supply system. The city’s existing pipeline was over 15 miles long with a vertical drop of over 1,500 feet. Constructed in 1929, the line had experienced numerous failures from corrosion and high operating pressures, and had exceeded its useful life. The City urgently needed to update its water system not only to replace the aging system, but also to accommodate for projected population growth.

Funding was initially sought through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Infrastructure Opportunity Fund. However, when the U.S. economy crashed in 2009,

the City found that it would take longer than they could accommodate to acquire those funds—and reduced funds at that. As a result, they also sought funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Even so, it was expected that only 15 miles of the water system could be updated, instead of the 20 miles that was needed. BergerABAM developed a public involvement program to ensure community support for the project and provided assistance to the City in the application for USDA construction grants and loans totaling $23 million.

BergerABAM conducted a dynamic analysis of the transmission system from the collection box at the base of Mount Hood, to Wilson Reservoir just inside city limits. The hydraulic gradient was evaluated to determine stabilizing pressures throughout the pipeline. This was critical because of the extreme pressures created from significant elevation

The project included a 20-mile stretch of pipeline installation.

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change. In addition, the alignment of the pipe route was evaluated to develop a more efficient and reliable transmission system and provide better access for the City’s operations staff. This was accomplished by keeping the alignment primarily within established public right-of-way, such as state and county roadways. The completion of an environmental impact study also aided in selecting the preferred alignment, opting for one that reduced impacts to environmentally sensitive areas.

The resulting system changes included a new 15-mile, 24-inch-diameter pipe alignment, pressure-reducing systems and associated water service zones, chlorination system, four bridge crossings, multiple stream and large culvert crossings, rail and canal crossings, seismic upgrade of a pipe bridge, roadway improvements, aboveground pier supports, slope stabilization, reservoir level control system, in-line meters, multi-input telemetry for monitoring and control, and a rehabilitated reservoir to include coating/lining and cathodic protection. Also critical to the design were roadway restoration plans and traffic control to the satisfaction of Hood County and Oregon Department of Transportation officials. The project was done efficiently to the point where, to the City’s surprise and delight, there was enough funding left over to complete another phase of the work: the last 5 miles of the much-needed water system update.

However, upon review of the project, USDA suddenly determined that the last phase of the project was not eligible for funding, and that it would be revoked. Knowing that it was vital to the community to complete the last 5 miles of the project, City Manager Bob Francis contacted State Senator Jeff Merkley for help. The senator provided guidance and advocacy for the city’s infrastructure needs, twice appealing the USDA’s determination, with the result that the City was able to keep the funding and continue upgrading their aging water system.

BergerABAM provided comprehensive construction management services through the duration of the project. Despite the very short time the City was allowed to use ARRA grant funds for this final 5 miles of infrastructure improvement, BergerABAM completed the design in four months—on time and within budget—allowing enough time to complete the project before the grant deadline.

In addition, BergerABAM staff worked with the now-retired local USDA Community Programs Specialist Pam Swires, which resulted in a highly collaborative working relationship. Swires remarked, “The BergerABAM team did an excellent job in presenting the City’s case during the appeals process when the City asked for the use of the remaining USDA grant funds.”

In the end, the project completion celebration ended on a wistful note. The project began in 2001 when planning started and construction was completed on the final phase in the summer of 2014. During the project, people retired, changed jobs, and moved away. There were a few constants: the dedication of key BergerABAM staff, the staff from the City of Hood River, and the staff of the local USDA. Despite a project that lasted for over a decade, all those involved regretted to see the project end because of the solid, professional relationships that had been established between the community and those who were determined to see the project through.

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BergerABAM provided comprehensive construction management services throughout the project duration.

The City of Longview broke ground in a ceremony on 14 August 2014 to celebrate the construction to improve the city’s downtown area along historic Commerce Avenue. Among those who participated in the ground breaking was U.S. Senator Patty Murray, who was instrumental in finding funding for the project; Longview Planning Manager Steve Langdon; City Manager Bob Gregory; Mayor Don Jensen; Longview Project Engineer Amy Blain; and other state and county elected officials. Also in attendance was BergerABAM’s Project Manager David Sacamano, who managed this streetscape project, as well as Juanita Rogers, landscape architect and urban designer.

The City is constructing these improvements to “better the appearance, safety, and accessibility” of its downtown core. The $1.5 million streetscape improvements will feature better lighting, new sidewalks, benches, landscaping, public art, and outdoor gathering places for citizens and visitors. The first phase—which began in August—will install new curbs and sidewalks, crosswalks, landscaping, rain gardens, lighting, and irrigation, and will improve Commerce Avenue from Broadway Street to Washington Way.

BergerABAM was selected to evaluate the downtown commercial area of the city of

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Longview, and then determine conceptual streetscape designs for various streets within the project planning area. Following conceptual design, detailed design and engineering plans were prepared for Commerce Avenue from Vandercook Way to Hemlock Street, plus sections of Broadway Street and Vandercook Way

adjacent to the Columbia Theater.

BergerABAM is also responsible for community and stakeholder communications throughout the project. Work to date has included a multi-day design workshop for the downtown streetscape plan that attracted over 100 residents and business owners. As a separate project, BergerABAM also prepared conceptual low impact development (LID) streetscape designs for Tennant Way. This work included coordination with an existing Tennant Way public advisory group and local businesses, and neighborhood meetings and an open house for street improvements for Longview’s gateway from Interstate 5 (I-5). Conceptual designs and cost estimates prepared during this project will be used to obtain state water quality and transportation improvement grants.

BergerABAM assisted the City with a feasibility study to replace a failing culvert that runs the length of Beech Street and to develop LID streetscape concepts and open space improvements in the Highlands neighborhood. BergerABAM also prepared conceptual graphics, photo simulations, and printed electronic project communications for all three projects.

Longview Breaks Groundon Downtown Corridor Improvements

Officials from the state, City of Longview, and Cowlitz County celebrated at the groundbreaking ceremony.

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Though a good bridge can do much to decrease congestion and speed traffic in the long run, the very construction of that bridge can result in traffic delays, which in turn can incur costs in the way of long waits, wasted fuel, and unhappy commuters, as well as posing safety risks to the travelling public. As a result, finding ways of accelerating the construction of bridges is something transportation agencies eagerly look for. Prefabricated bridge bents have been widely used in non-earthquake prone areas to save construction time and increase both worker and traveler safety, but in high-seismic areas, such as Washington and California, such construction has not been robust enough to justify its deployment.

However, a recent paper (“Accelerated Bridge Construction in Washington State: From Research to Practice,” published in the Journal of the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute) documented an innovation—from the inception to the implementation stage—that enables the use of these prefabricated bents even in high-earthquake-prone areas. This paper was written by Lee Marsh, chief executive officer of BergerABAM, as part of a development team, including Bijan Khaleghi and Eric Schultz of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT); Stephen Seguirant of Concrete Technology Corporation (CTC); and Olafur Haraldsson, Marc Eberhard, and John Stanton of the University of Washington. Their efforts resulted in receiving the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) T.Y. Lin award in September 2014.

The method was developed and then tested at the University of Washington in Seattle. An opportunity to put this method into practice presented itself in the form of a bridge replacement project that crosses I-5 in Washington State. The overall project revealed, among other findings, that

The precast bent system can stand up to the rigors of seismic loading (as observed in the laboratory),

The system is constructible and cost-effective (as observed in the field), and

A broad-based collaborating team of owners, engineers, researchers, precasters, and contractors can deliver an effective system for earthquake-prone regions that is ready to use today.

WSDOT funded the initial system research. The final development and documentation of the precast bent system was supported by a Technology Partnership grant from the Federal Highway Administration’s Highways for LIFE program. Construction of the demonstration bridge was funded by WSDOT, and the bridge was constructed by Tri-State Construction and CTC.

Professor T. Y. Lin, an eminent prestressed concrete pioneer, endowed the award to ASCE in 1968 to recognize outstanding engineers and their contributions to the field of prestressed concrete. The award is presented each year to the best paper written or coauthored by members of ASCE in the various publications of ASCE, PCI, and the American Concrete Institute during a 12-month period.

Lee Marsh Receives T.Y. Lin Awardfor a Precast Bridge Bent System

Lee Marsh

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When buildings are updated or renovated, it’s usually a straightforward job. However, when that aging building is on a military base, in a seismically sensitive area, such as Washington State, it becomes complicated indeed. BergerABAM structural engineer, Inna Tasmaly, in her article “Challenges in the Blast Design of Cold-formed Steel Stud Walls” in the July 2014 issue of Structure, outlined the delicate balancing act between understanding the optimum conditions for antiterrorism renovations and the challenges of budget, scope, adhering to Department of Defense (DOD) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requirements and codes, meeting mission requirements, and designing for the daily needs and use of military personnel.

Complex considerations come into play for many of the aging buildings on U.S. military bases. According to the U.S. Unified Facilities Criteria DOD Minimum Antiterrorism Standards for Buildings, “terrorism is real, evolving, and continues to increase in lethality throughout the world.” As a result, not only must military personnel do all they can to be aware of and prevent vulnerabilities, but the buildings they live and work in must be built or renovated to resist potential attacks as much as possible and practical. Some considerations for the Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) building renovation project were

Accessibility and proximity of threat – What governs “proximity” and what the “triggers” are for threat analysis. For example, does this facility have access control? If so, this “standoff” distance can allow a less demanding renovation for the building.

Type and size of threat – The likelihood of the facility as a strategic target for attack, and how big the attack might be, using as a measure the equivalent weight of TNT to take down the structure. For example, a fast-food restaurant would be less of a strategic target—and would be designed to resist a smaller explosive —than a center for military communications.

General loading on the structure – How much of a blast a structure can take at the determined “standoff” distance.

At the same time, the Minimum Standards also acknowledge that it’s not feasible to apply these requirements on all existing construction and facilities because of budgetary

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Engineering Buildings for Extreme Events: Antiterrorism Renovations

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and historical preservation concerns. A combination of innovative engineering and non-engineering solutions during project management can create the best balance for such a project. As a result, the article presents the following lessons learned in the management of the JBLM project.

Always determine the blast requirements during the preliminary stages of a project, and verify the project scope with the client to ensure that the client knows the required level of effort.

Engage manufacturers and suppliers that have knowledge of blast design for building components early in the project, such as for window glazing. Such components can change the requirements and loads carried through the entire structure.

There may be more than a few unique facades on a building. Determine the type, including possible historical requirements that need to be maintained, and be aware that each type will need their own blast threat assessment that will need to have unique demands developed for them.

Group the demands into framing types, detailing needs, and typical cold-formed steel framing for more efficient design and construction.

Early in the project, review the original construction documents to better understand the building’s structural conditions and load paths.

Hangar D is a historic facility with metal siding requiring a unique blast loading evaluation and design.

Lee Marsh Receives T.Y. Lin Award