Shimmick Advances Murray Street Bridge Seismic Retrofit in Santa Cruz

Highlights

• Shimmick completed three key milestones on the Murray Street Bridge Seismic Retrofit and Barrier Rail Project.
• A new 36-inch sanitary sewer force main was commissioned after testing and final tie-in.
• Remaining in-water construction, including pile driving and foundation work, was completed within the permitted construction window.
• Scheduled road-closure work was completed on time, allowing traffic to return to its previous route Sept. 28.
• Structural work will continue with column, pier cap and precast girder construction.

A major utility relocation and marine construction phase has been completed on the Murray Street Bridge in Santa Cruz, allowing Shimmick to move forward with additional structural work while restoring the bridge's regular traffic pattern.

Utility Relocation Clears Foundation Work

A 36-inch sanitary sewer force main located within the footprint of the bridge expansion required relocation before pile driving and foundation construction could proceed.

Shimmick installed a temporary 24-inch high-density polyethylene bypass to maintain wastewater service while crews constructed the permanent force main. The new utility was hydrostatically tested before the final connection was completed and wastewater flow was transferred to the permanent system.

The relocation involved confined-space welding and inspection, specialized testing and detailed safety and rescue planning. Coordination among field crews, safety personnel, project partners and specialty subcontractors was required to sequence the work with other bridge activities.

Marine and Traffic Work Reach Key Milestones

With the permanent sewer line operational, crews completed the remaining in-water work, including pile driving and foundation construction for the bridge expansion. The marine activities were completed within the permitted in-water construction period.

Shimmick also completed the work scheduled during a planned road closure. Traffic returned to its previous route across the bridge on Sept. 28, although the overall bridge project remains under construction.

Upcoming work includes additional structural improvements involving columns, pier caps and precast girders.

Why It Matters

The completed milestones allow the project team to advance structural improvements without carrying key marine construction activities into another permitted work season. The sequencing also demonstrates the coordination required when utility infrastructure, marine construction, structural work and traffic control overlap on an active bridge project.

The Murray Street Bridge project is intended to strengthen and expand the structure to improve resilience during future seismic events.

Source: Shimmick.