Transportation

Location

Benicia–Martinez, CA

Owner

California DoT

Contractor

Kiewit Pacific Co.

Completion

December 2007

The new Benicia-Martinez Bridge opened to traffic in August 2007. The bridge carries northbound vehicles across the Carquinez Strait, helping alleviate congestion and serving as a lifeline for northern California. Constructed by Kiewit Pacific Co., a subsidiary of Kiewit Corporation, the five-lane toll bridge is more than 82 feet wide and 7,500 feet long. It runs parallel to the existing six-lane Benicia-Martinez Bridge and the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge.

The substructure work required construction of 17 piers, of which 12 are water piers. These piers are founded on 99 concrete and steel piles, which are approximately eight feet in diameter and extend nearly 300 feet into the bedrock below. To reduce impacts to the native fish habitat, Kiewit, in conjunction with the California Department of Transportation, developed an air-bubble curtain system to contain the sound waves generated by the pile driving. The bridge's 1,700-ton footings were constructed offsite, floated into place and supported on the piles.

The bridge's segmental superstructure consists of 11 pier tables and 344 concrete segments. The segments were cast-in-place balanced cantilevers using a traveling form system to cast the entire superstructure in 15-foot sections.

The bridge topped Roads & Bridges' Top 10 Bridges list published in November 2006 and is one of the longest span bridges of its type in the U.S.

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