Shimmick is advancing construction on a new bridge and tide gate structure at Estudillo Canal in San Leandro, California, as part of an infrastructure upgrade designed to improve watershed resilience and replace deteriorated facilities.
The project is being delivered for the Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. The existing bridge had deteriorated to the point where it could no longer be used, while severe scour had developed around the tide gate.
Before permanent construction could begin, the project team developed temporary access and water-management systems to allow work within the active canal.
One of the project’s first major activities was construction of a 130-foot temporary trestle to provide access for crews and equipment.
Because the work is located within an active waterway connected to San Francisco Bay, the team installed two 145-foot sheet pile cutoff walls perpendicular to the canal. The walls isolated the construction zone from tidal flow and watershed outflow.
A design-build gravity bypass was also installed to maintain the watershed’s natural connection with San Francisco Bay while construction proceeded.
With access and water management established, crews demolished the existing bridge and tide gate while driving permanent sheet pile. The work also required coordination around timber pile remnants dating to the 1970s that remained within the project footprint.
Following demolition, construction shifted to the foundation for the replacement structure.
Crews installed 132 concrete piles to support the new bridge and tide gate. Completion of pile driving allowed the team to proceed with concrete work, including construction of the footing for the new tide gate structure.
The progression from temporary access and water-control measures to permanent foundation work marks a major transition in the project. The new infrastructure is intended to replace facilities that have reached the end of their useful service life while improving resilience within the surrounding watershed.
The project also includes work approximately one mile from the tide gate. Shimmick is lowering a section of levee to create a spillway intended to help protect the surrounding community during major rain events.
The tide gate replacement, bridge reconstruction and levee improvements form part of a broader effort to strengthen infrastructure within the watershed.
Water infrastructure projects increasingly require construction teams to manage aging facilities while maintaining hydraulic connections and protecting surrounding communities.
At Estudillo Canal, temporary trestle access, sheet pile cutoff walls and a gravity bypass are enabling construction within an active waterway. The combination of replacement infrastructure and flood-management improvements is intended to provide San Leandro and the surrounding watershed with more resilient facilities for long-term use.
Source: Shimmick.
