3
2
8
Clean Rivers continued from page 1
Principal’s message by Gregg Davidson, PE, CEng
Relocating or Working Remotely: Which Is Best?
Jacobs Associates has seen considerable
growth, both in staff size and geographical
location of our offices and projects, over the
last decade. This growth has been made possible by providing the appropriate level of
professional expertise to not only successfully
pursue a project but, more importantly, to
deliver the project to a client’s expectations.
even across the globe. This has and continues
to work well, although, in our experience, it is
only successful when the remote workers are
“anchored” by a strong team at the project location. This is easy to say, but not so easy to do.
Over the last few years, we here at Jacobs Associates have spent a considerable amount of
time seeking to structure an approach that
meets our client’s requirements while also providing our staff with career-developing work in
an environment that they enjoy. In terms of the
growth of the firm, the biggest asset we have
is our staff. It is important to maintain this
talent by recognizing each person’s individual
strengths, both professionally and personally.
As a specialist firm in the underground industry that does not have a presence in all
the major US cities, we have been selective
in strategically developing an approach to
increasing, or even initiating, our presence
in various market locations. Initially that was
often achieved by teaming with strong local
partners. This approach has served us well
as we have expanded and has allowed us to
readily provide our talents and expertise
to new owners and partners.
To sustain and enhance this growth, however,
a more long-term approach is required. In our
industry, and with the communication means
currently available, it is not uncommon to have
staff working remotely around the country, and
We have found that “one size” does not fit all.
Moving to a new location can be more difficult
for some staff than for others. However, the
prospect of working on a project that is challenging professionally provides an encouragement to staff members to seek alternative
means of getting involved. That could be by
working remotely, and/or frequent travel to
the project site. There is no benefit in forcing
all staff to move to
a location on a permanent/long-term
basis. Staff retention
will suffer. However,
no one benefits from
a completely remote
approach.
second QUARTER
Gregg Davidson is
currently based in the
firm’s Seattle office.
He is the northwest
regional manager and
also serves as deputy
project manager for
the final design contract on the Northgate
Link Extension Light
Rail project in Seattle.
The key is to strike a
balance. We encourage our staff members to find ways of
working that suit
them, while always
recognizing that as we grow in a particular
center we must provide our anchor—staff
invested in the project, area, and region. We
have found that successful growth in new regions occurs once there is a champion—someone on the ground and wanting to take on new
challenges. Others will follow, in person and/
or remotely.
Because of intense flooding in these neighborhoods during the summer and fall of
2012, a Mayor’s Task Force recommended
that the FST be fast tracked ahead of other
tunnel contracts and established a completion
date of March 2016. The FST will initially be
used to temporarily store excess storm water
during weather events. After such an event, a
temporary pumping station will dewater the
tunnel and discharge the stored water back
into the existing sewer system. Within 10
years of completion of the FST project,
the remainder of the Clean Rivers tunnel system will be completed, allowing
the FST to gravity flow to the Blue Plains
Plant for treatment, without pumping.
To achieve the flood reduction by 2016,
the Request for Proposal (RFP) is being
generated and design-build teams will
be shortlisted by spring 2013. The RFP
will be released at a 30% design level, but
finalized through collaboration with the shortlisted teams. Technical and cost proposals will
be submitted in September 2013, and the selected design-build team will be given Notice
to Proceed in October 2013. Reaping the Benefits of BIM
Brightwater BT3 and Sunnydale Garner Awards
Two Jacobs Associates projects were honored
for the high quality of their design. On January
18, the Brightwater Conveyance System–BT3
Completion Contract received a Silver Award
for “original/innovative application of new or
existing techniques” from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Washington.
On March 6, the Sunnydale Auxiliary Sewer
Tunnel project team accepted the American
Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Region 9
Outstanding Collection System Project Award.
Brightwater’s BT3 Completion (BT3C)
Contract provided an innovative contract
solution to complete the BT-3 tunnel section of
the Brightwater Conveyance System project.
The Brightwater project consists of approximately 13 miles (21 km) of large-diameter
tunnels, constructed at depths of 40 to 440 feet
(12–134 m) below the ground surface through
an urban/suburban area. During BT-3 tunnel
construction, the TBM experienced excessive
wear and was abandoned halfway into its
20,000-foot-long (6,096 m) drive. To complete
excavation, King County negotiated the new
cost-reimbursable BT3C Contract with the Jay
Dee/Coluccio Joint Venture. Direct access to
the TBM from the ground surface was not feasible because of high groundwater pressures
and a tunnel depth of about 320 feet (98 m).
Therefore, the approach selected by the design
team and King County had the smaller BT3C
TBM mine into the abandoned shield of the
larger BT-3 TBM, utilizing ground freezing for
ground improvement.
Because of a highly collaborative effort by
contractors, owner, and designer, the BT3
Completion Tunnel was completed quickly and
successfully.
BT3C Tunnel Team.
SFPUC, SF Department of Public Works and Jacobs
Associates receiving ASCE Region 9 award.
VolUME 32
The Sunnydale Auxiliary Sewer Tunnel
significantly increases the capacity and operational flexibility of San Francisco Public Utility
Commission’s (SFPUC) existing 100-year-old
sewer system in the Visitacion Valley community. The new 5,370-foot-long (1,367 m), 8- to
12-foot-diameter (2.4–3.7 m) sewer tunnel
will be an important best management tool to
minimize localized flooding in the City and
reduce combined sewer discharges into the
San Francisco Bay.
The project team addressed the many challenges of this tunnel project by innovative use
of technology and equipment, teamwork, sound
decision making, value engineering, and an
understanding of community and stakeholder
concerns. The tunnel was completed successfully, safely, under the established budget and
schedule, and in compliance with local subcontracting and hiring requirements.
The project goal was always at the forefront:
to provide this disadvantaged community with
localized storm flooding protection and reliable wastewater service for the next hundred
years. The Sunnydale Auxiliary Sewer Tunnel
is a model for wastewater improvement efforts
in SFPUC’s recently initiated Sewer System
Improvement Program.
Early in Jacobs Associates’ involvement, a decision was made to use Building Information
Modeling (BIM) on all near-surface structures
and drop shafts to improve drawing coordination and the overall quality of documentation.
Once the workflow began, however, it became
nimble assessment
of design changes
as they occur. The
models also increase
visibility (and therefore predictability)
into the design and
construction process by assembling all the major design
components holistically. Doing
this when decisions are fluid gives the
team an opportunity to respond to traditional
downstream considerations earlier in the process. The models also yield accurate
quantity take-offs for cost estimates
as well as an ideal workbench for
constructability review. Finally,
model-derived isometric drawings
allow readers an excellent overview
to the contract drawings.
3D assembly of Main Pump Station diversion
structures and drop shaft to Blue Plains Tunnel.
clear the models were adding value in ways
that went well beyond our original intent.
Coordination and clash detection are often at
the top of every BIM wish list, but the value
doesn’t end there. The parametric or associative nature of object-based solid modeling
creates a flexible environment, allowing for
The Clean Rivers project team has been leveraging the value of BIM through every step of
the design process—improving work quality,
increasing visibility for all project stakeholders, and identifying change when change is
inexpensive to make.
Mark is a senior staff engineer working on
the Blue Plains Tunnel project. Amanda is a
senior project engineer working on the Anacostia River Tunnel project. Joel is a lead associate working on First Street Tunnel design.
Eric is a senior project consultant on multiple
work packages for the Clean Rivers project.
He brings proven project management
expertise in the delivery of transit
stations, from preliminary and final
design through construction. Andrew
was an integral team member in the
successful design and construction of
the Sea-Tac Link Light Rail Station and Tukwila
Boulevard Station along the Central Link Light
Rail route that connects Seattle–Tacoma Inter­
national Airport to downtown Seattle. Additionally, he served as the project manager for the
We appreciate your feedback.
finalliner@jacobssf.com
Visit us at www.jacobssf.com
or call us at 800.842.3794
Executive Editor Victor Romero, PE, CPEng
Managing Editors Rebecca Anicich, CPSM;
Julie McCullough (Acting)
Contributing Editors Lauren Curley; LE McCutcheon,
CPSM; PJ Roscoe; Carl Williams
Art Direction/Design Seth McGinnis
San Francisco, CA 415.434.1822
Boston, MA 781.852.0450
Cleveland, OH 216.292.9710
New York, NY 212.376.1310
Pasadena, CA 626.737.6520
© 2013 Jacobs Associates
architectural finishes of the Terminal
Walkway Pedestrian Bridge that links
Sea-Tac Link Light Rail Station to an
existing airport parking garage.
Currently, Andrew is the contract
package lead for the Northgate Link Light Rail
Extension elevated guideway and station in
the Northgate area of Seattle. He holds MA and
BA degrees in Architecture from the University
of Washington.
Portland, OR 503.227.1800
San Diego, CA 619.565.2747
Seattle, WA 206.588.8200
Walnut Creek, CA 925.945.0677
Each year, Trenchless Technology magazine surveys North American engineering firms involved in the trenchless field for its annual Top 50 Trenchless Design Firm showcase. This year
Jacobs Associates ranked at number 23—up from a ranking of 35 in 2011. The increase is a
result of our new Trenchless Services Center, established in 2011 in Walnut Creek, California,
which has expanded our capabilities in trenchless technology services and geotechnical engineering, including laboratory testing of soil and rock samples.
Project update by Mark Kroncke, PE, Amanda Morgan, PE, Joel Kantola, PE, and Eric Westergren
DC Clean Rivers Project Update
consists of a 12,500-footlong (3,810 m), 23-foot ID
(7 m), 100- to 120-footdeep (30–37 m) soft
ground tunnel. Additionally, there are six drop shafts,
three of which have deep
adit connections to the
ART, as well as two diversion chamber and several
near-surface structures.
Assembly of Blue Plains Tunnel
TBM main drive and shield.
The DC Clean Rivers project consists of several
large-diameter soft ground tunnels that divert
storm water and combined sewer overflow
(CSO) by gravity from combined sewers near the
Anacostia and Potomac rivers to the Blue Plains
Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant (Blue
Plains Plant) at the southern tip of Washington
DC. Since 2009, Jacobs Associates has provided
program management services for the project’s
tunnel components. Below is an update on four
major aspects of this $2.6 billion District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water)
project, which continues to be on schedule.
Prepping for Blue Plains
Tunnel TBM Launch
Lead Associate Andrew Engel Welcomed
Andrew Engel, AIA, joined Jacobs Associates’
Seattle office in February as a Lead Associate.
Andrew has 23 years of diverse design experience, including 14 years specializing in the
management of architectural transit designs.
His understanding of the human factors of
built environments, especially transit stations
and their associated elements, will enhance
how Jacobs Associates addresses public spaces
and access within and around our underground structures.
2013
Work has steadily progressed on the Blue
Plains Tunnel. Slurry wall construction for four
of the five large-diameter shafts is complete.
Their inside diameters (ID) range from 50 to
132 feet (15–40 m), and their depths from
110 to 170 feet (34–52 m). Excavation of the
50-foot ID (15 m) Bolling Air Force Base Drop
Shaft and the 55-foot ID (17 m) Poplar Point
Junction Shaft will be performed in the wet
using clamshell-bucket methods. Excavation
of the 132-foot ID (40 m) Pump Station Shaft
and the 76-foot ID (23 m) Screening Shaft at
the Treatment Plant site have both reached
Seven design-build teams
submitted Statements of
Qualifications for ART in
December 2011. Of these,
three were short listed.
These teams then particiBlue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility along
pated in a nine-month-long
Potomac River. Photo courtesy of Traylor Bros., Inc.
collaboration process with
temporary slab elevation. These shafts are
DC Water. Jacobs Associates provided technibeing readied for launch of the tunnel boring
cal support during this process. The three
machine (TBM), scheduled for late May 2013.
shortlisted teams submitted both technical and
price proposals on January 15, 2013. DC Water
The fifth shaft slurry wall, with a 60-foot ID
is in the process of selecting a design-build
(18 m), located near Nationals Park in southteam based on a best value selection. The new
west DC, is scheduled for completion by May
team is expected to be selected in early spring.
2013. Prior to the start of shaft construction,
Fast Tracking First Street
a large-scale soil mixing operation—consistTunnel to Address Flooding
ing of nearly 170 soil mix columns, 3 to 8 feet
(1.0–2.5 m) in diameter, and 40 to 50-feet (12
Long-term flood prevention for the Bloomingto 15 m) deep—was installed to improve the
dale and LeDroit Park residential neighborsoft fill and alluvial material at the site.
hoods in northern DC is a key part of the Clean
Choosing Design-Builder
Rivers project. The most northern, or upstream,
for Anacostia River Tunnel
of the proposed flood control tunnels affecting
these neighborhoods is the First Street TunThe Anacostia River Tunnel (ART) project is
nel (FST)—a 2,700-foot-long (823 m), 80- to
presently undergoing selection of its design160-foot-deep (24–49 m) soft ground tunnel.
build team. ART is the second large-diameter
Its minimum inside diameter is 18.5 feet (5.6
tunnel contract of the DC Clean Rivers Project. m). Four drop shafts will be required to divert
The tunnel drive will begin near RFK Stadium wet weather flows into the tunnel.
and connect to the Blue Plains Tunnel at the
Continued on page 8
Poplar Point Junction Shaft. The ART project
more news inside
Washington, DC 571.357.1879
Auckland, New Zealand +64 9 551 2325
Docklands, VIC, AUS +61 3 8102 1800
Vancouver, BC, Canada 604.336.8630
Hitting Number 23 on the Trenchless
Technology’s Top 50 List
Jacobs Associates provides practical, cost-effective, and innovative
solutions for difficult underground projects and excels in the water,
wastewater, and transportation sectors. With an emphasis on tunnels
and shafts, we offer a full range of design and construction management capabilities. We also offer the broader heavy civil construction
industry a robust package of claims and dispute resolution services.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Project Announcements
Principal’s Message
Project Awards
Just Answers
Retrofitting BART Tunnel
Gorge 2nd Tunnel Final Design
•
•
•
•
•
•
Four SoCal Project Wins
San Jacinto Tunnel
Vermont Trenchless Rehabilitation
Muck Bucket
Community Involvement
New Lead Associate
Project announcements
Central Subway TBMs on the Move
In February, Jacobs Associates and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)
witnessed factory acceptance testing of Mom Chung, the first of the Central Subway Project’s
two earth pressure balance tunnel boring machines (TBMs). Contractor Barnard Impregilo
Healy JV, who was awarded the tunneling contract in January 2012 for $233.6 million, ordered
the two TBMs from the Robbins Company. Mom Chung shipped from Guangzhou, China, on
March 18, and the second TBM (Big Alma) will follow in a few weeks.
Excavation begins this summer after TBM assembly in the launch box under an active San Francisco freeway. Each of the twin tunnels is approximately 1.5 miles long (2.4 km) and will be
excavated primarily through the Colma and Franciscan formations, passing closely under existing Muni and BART tunnels. One-pass, precast concrete segments with gaskets are being fabricated by Precast Management Corporation in Nevada. TBM launch box installation is currently
being completed, and work is proceeding on headwalls for two of the underground stations as
well as compensation grout tubes and shafts for building protection during construction. Jacobs
Associates is providing program management and construction management for the $1.6 billion
Central Subway Program.
Jacobs Associates and SFMTA staff with
Mom Chung. Photo courtesy of The Robbins Co.
TBM Bound for Landmark Waterview Project
New Zealand’s landmark Waterview Connection project is one step closer to tunneling. The
New Zealand Transport Agency’s Well-Connected Alliance formally accepted the world’s 10th
largest TBM at a ceremony at the Herrenknecht factory in Guangzhou, China, on March 7. The
14.5-meter-diameter (47.6 ft) TBM was specifically designed for the unique ground conditions
that will be encountered on this NZ$1.4 billion project, the biggest transport construction
project in New Zealand’s history. The handover marks completion of 14 months of design, building, and testing. The TBM is due to arrive in Auckland in July, and will be reassembled at the
project’s southern portal. Tunneling is scheduled to begin October. Jacobs Associates provided
tunnel consulting services to NZTA during preparation of the minimum requirements for the
tenders, then served as NZTA “embeds” on the two tender teams competing for the project.
During the detailed design phase, we are providing peer review services to the alliance for the
design of all tunnel and retaining wall structures.
Waterview TBM at Herrenknecht factory in China.
Bay Tunnel Hole-Through Milestone!
On January 11 at 3 a.m., construction crews made history when the 15-foot-diameter (4.56 m)
Hitachi-Zosen EPB-TBM reached the Newark Shaft location in the East Bay. The 5-mile-long
(8 km) Bay Tunnel is the first TBM-excavated tunnel under San Francisco Bay, and the flagship
project of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s Water System Improvement Program
(WSIP). The Michels/Jay Dee/Coluccio joint venture completed excavation in just 16 months—
8 months ahead of schedule. The tunnel lies at depths ranging from 75 to 110 feet (23 to 34 m)
in sandy and silty clays under high groundwater pressures of up to 3.5 bar, and passes through
a short section of highly weathered Franciscan Complex bedrock. The miners are now preparing
the tunnel for installation of the 108-inch-diameter (2,740 mm) steel liner. The steel pipe, manufactured in California, will be installed in 40-foot (12.2 m) sections, welded together inside
the tunnel, and backfilled with cellular concrete. As the prime consultant, Jacobs Associates
led the tunnel design and is currently providing construction support services.
Newark Retrieval Shaft TBM hole through.
3
2
8
Clean Rivers continued from page 1
Principal’s message by Gregg Davidson, PE, CEng
Relocating or Working Remotely: Which Is Best?
Jacobs Associates has seen considerable
growth, both in staff size and geographical
location of our offices and projects, over the
last decade. This growth has been made possible by providing the appropriate level of
professional expertise to not only successfully
pursue a project but, more importantly, to
deliver the project to a client’s expectations.
even across the globe. This has and continues
to work well, although, in our experience, it is
only successful when the remote workers are
“anchored” by a strong team at the project location. This is easy to say, but not so easy to do.
Over the last few years, we here at Jacobs Associates have spent a considerable amount of
time seeking to structure an approach that
meets our client’s requirements while also providing our staff with career-developing work in
an environment that they enjoy. In terms of the
growth of the firm, the biggest asset we have
is our staff. It is important to maintain this
talent by recognizing each person’s individual
strengths, both professionally and personally.
As a specialist firm in the underground industry that does not have a presence in all
the major US cities, we have been selective
in strategically developing an approach to
increasing, or even initiating, our presence
in various market locations. Initially that was
often achieved by teaming with strong local
partners. This approach has served us well
as we have expanded and has allowed us to
readily provide our talents and expertise
to new owners and partners.
To sustain and enhance this growth, however,
a more long-term approach is required. In our
industry, and with the communication means
currently available, it is not uncommon to have
staff working remotely around the country, and
We have found that “one size” does not fit all.
Moving to a new location can be more difficult
for some staff than for others. However, the
prospect of working on a project that is challenging professionally provides an encouragement to staff members to seek alternative
means of getting involved. That could be by
working remotely, and/or frequent travel to
the project site. There is no benefit in forcing
all staff to move to
a location on a permanent/long-term
basis. Staff retention
will suffer. However,
no one benefits from
a completely remote
approach.
second QUARTER
Gregg Davidson is
currently based in the
firm’s Seattle office.
He is the northwest
regional manager and
also serves as deputy
project manager for
the final design contract on the Northgate
Link Extension Light
Rail project in Seattle.
The key is to strike a
balance. We encourage our staff members to find ways of
working that suit
them, while always
recognizing that as we grow in a particular
center we must provide our anchor—staff
invested in the project, area, and region. We
have found that successful growth in new regions occurs once there is a champion—someone on the ground and wanting to take on new
challenges. Others will follow, in person and/
or remotely.
Because of intense flooding in these neighborhoods during the summer and fall of
2012, a Mayor’s Task Force recommended
that the FST be fast tracked ahead of other
tunnel contracts and established a completion
date of March 2016. The FST will initially be
used to temporarily store excess storm water
during weather events. After such an event, a
temporary pumping station will dewater the
tunnel and discharge the stored water back
into the existing sewer system. Within 10
years of completion of the FST project,
the remainder of the Clean Rivers tunnel system will be completed, allowing
the FST to gravity flow to the Blue Plains
Plant for treatment, without pumping.
To achieve the flood reduction by 2016,
the Request for Proposal (RFP) is being
generated and design-build teams will
be shortlisted by spring 2013. The RFP
will be released at a 30% design level, but
finalized through collaboration with the shortlisted teams. Technical and cost proposals will
be submitted in September 2013, and the selected design-build team will be given Notice
to Proceed in October 2013. Reaping the Benefits of BIM
Brightwater BT3 and Sunnydale Garner Awards
Two Jacobs Associates projects were honored
for the high quality of their design. On January
18, the Brightwater Conveyance System–BT3
Completion Contract received a Silver Award
for “original/innovative application of new or
existing techniques” from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Washington.
On March 6, the Sunnydale Auxiliary Sewer
Tunnel project team accepted the American
Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Region 9
Outstanding Collection System Project Award.
Brightwater’s BT3 Completion (BT3C)
Contract provided an innovative contract
solution to complete the BT-3 tunnel section of
the Brightwater Conveyance System project.
The Brightwater project consists of approximately 13 miles (21 km) of large-diameter
tunnels, constructed at depths of 40 to 440 feet
(12–134 m) below the ground surface through
an urban/suburban area. During BT-3 tunnel
construction, the TBM experienced excessive
wear and was abandoned halfway into its
20,000-foot-long (6,096 m) drive. To complete
excavation, King County negotiated the new
cost-reimbursable BT3C Contract with the Jay
Dee/Coluccio Joint Venture. Direct access to
the TBM from the ground surface was not feasible because of high groundwater pressures
and a tunnel depth of about 320 feet (98 m).
Therefore, the approach selected by the design
team and King County had the smaller BT3C
TBM mine into the abandoned shield of the
larger BT-3 TBM, utilizing ground freezing for
ground improvement.
Because of a highly collaborative effort by
contractors, owner, and designer, the BT3
Completion Tunnel was completed quickly and
successfully.
BT3C Tunnel Team.
SFPUC, SF Department of Public Works and Jacobs
Associates receiving ASCE Region 9 award.
VolUME 32
The Sunnydale Auxiliary Sewer Tunnel
significantly increases the capacity and operational flexibility of San Francisco Public Utility
Commission’s (SFPUC) existing 100-year-old
sewer system in the Visitacion Valley community. The new 5,370-foot-long (1,367 m), 8- to
12-foot-diameter (2.4–3.7 m) sewer tunnel
will be an important best management tool to
minimize localized flooding in the City and
reduce combined sewer discharges into the
San Francisco Bay.
The project team addressed the many challenges of this tunnel project by innovative use
of technology and equipment, teamwork, sound
decision making, value engineering, and an
understanding of community and stakeholder
concerns. The tunnel was completed successfully, safely, under the established budget and
schedule, and in compliance with local subcontracting and hiring requirements.
The project goal was always at the forefront:
to provide this disadvantaged community with
localized storm flooding protection and reliable wastewater service for the next hundred
years. The Sunnydale Auxiliary Sewer Tunnel
is a model for wastewater improvement efforts
in SFPUC’s recently initiated Sewer System
Improvement Program.
Early in Jacobs Associates’ involvement, a decision was made to use Building Information
Modeling (BIM) on all near-surface structures
and drop shafts to improve drawing coordination and the overall quality of documentation.
Once the workflow began, however, it became
nimble assessment
of design changes
as they occur. The
models also increase
visibility (and therefore predictability)
into the design and
construction process by assembling all the major design
components holistically. Doing
this when decisions are fluid gives the
team an opportunity to respond to traditional
downstream considerations earlier in the process. The models also yield accurate
quantity take-offs for cost estimates
as well as an ideal workbench for
constructability review. Finally,
model-derived isometric drawings
allow readers an excellent overview
to the contract drawings.
3D assembly of Main Pump Station diversion
structures and drop shaft to Blue Plains Tunnel.
clear the models were adding value in ways
that went well beyond our original intent.
Coordination and clash detection are often at
the top of every BIM wish list, but the value
doesn’t end there. The parametric or associative nature of object-based solid modeling
creates a flexible environment, allowing for
The Clean Rivers project team has been leveraging the value of BIM through every step of
the design process—improving work quality,
increasing visibility for all project stakeholders, and identifying change when change is
inexpensive to make.
Mark is a senior staff engineer working on
the Blue Plains Tunnel project. Amanda is a
senior project engineer working on the Anacostia River Tunnel project. Joel is a lead associate working on First Street Tunnel design.
Eric is a senior project consultant on multiple
work packages for the Clean Rivers project.
He brings proven project management
expertise in the delivery of transit
stations, from preliminary and final
design through construction. Andrew
was an integral team member in the
successful design and construction of
the Sea-Tac Link Light Rail Station and Tukwila
Boulevard Station along the Central Link Light
Rail route that connects Seattle–Tacoma Inter­
national Airport to downtown Seattle. Additionally, he served as the project manager for the
We appreciate your feedback.
finalliner@jacobssf.com
Visit us at www.jacobssf.com
or call us at 800.842.3794
Executive Editor Victor Romero, PE, CPEng
Managing Editors Rebecca Anicich, CPSM;
Julie McCullough (Acting)
Contributing Editors Lauren Curley; LE McCutcheon,
CPSM; PJ Roscoe; Carl Williams
Art Direction/Design Seth McGinnis
San Francisco, CA 415.434.1822
Boston, MA 781.852.0450
Cleveland, OH 216.292.9710
New York, NY 212.376.1310
Pasadena, CA 626.737.6520
© 2013 Jacobs Associates
architectural finishes of the Terminal
Walkway Pedestrian Bridge that links
Sea-Tac Link Light Rail Station to an
existing airport parking garage.
Currently, Andrew is the contract
package lead for the Northgate Link Light Rail
Extension elevated guideway and station in
the Northgate area of Seattle. He holds MA and
BA degrees in Architecture from the University
of Washington.
Portland, OR 503.227.1800
San Diego, CA 619.565.2747
Seattle, WA 206.588.8200
Walnut Creek, CA 925.945.0677
Each year, Trenchless Technology magazine surveys North American engineering firms involved in the trenchless field for its annual Top 50 Trenchless Design Firm showcase. This year
Jacobs Associates ranked at number 23—up from a ranking of 35 in 2011. The increase is a
result of our new Trenchless Services Center, established in 2011 in Walnut Creek, California,
which has expanded our capabilities in trenchless technology services and geotechnical engineering, including laboratory testing of soil and rock samples.
Project update by Mark Kroncke, PE, Amanda Morgan, PE, Joel Kantola, PE, and Eric Westergren
DC Clean Rivers Project Update
consists of a 12,500-footlong (3,810 m), 23-foot ID
(7 m), 100- to 120-footdeep (30–37 m) soft
ground tunnel. Additionally, there are six drop shafts,
three of which have deep
adit connections to the
ART, as well as two diversion chamber and several
near-surface structures.
Assembly of Blue Plains Tunnel
TBM main drive and shield.
The DC Clean Rivers project consists of several
large-diameter soft ground tunnels that divert
storm water and combined sewer overflow
(CSO) by gravity from combined sewers near the
Anacostia and Potomac rivers to the Blue Plains
Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant (Blue
Plains Plant) at the southern tip of Washington
DC. Since 2009, Jacobs Associates has provided
program management services for the project’s
tunnel components. Below is an update on four
major aspects of this $2.6 billion District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water)
project, which continues to be on schedule.
Prepping for Blue Plains
Tunnel TBM Launch
Lead Associate Andrew Engel Welcomed
Andrew Engel, AIA, joined Jacobs Associates’
Seattle office in February as a Lead Associate.
Andrew has 23 years of diverse design experience, including 14 years specializing in the
management of architectural transit designs.
His understanding of the human factors of
built environments, especially transit stations
and their associated elements, will enhance
how Jacobs Associates addresses public spaces
and access within and around our underground structures.
2013
Work has steadily progressed on the Blue
Plains Tunnel. Slurry wall construction for four
of the five large-diameter shafts is complete.
Their inside diameters (ID) range from 50 to
132 feet (15–40 m), and their depths from
110 to 170 feet (34–52 m). Excavation of the
50-foot ID (15 m) Bolling Air Force Base Drop
Shaft and the 55-foot ID (17 m) Poplar Point
Junction Shaft will be performed in the wet
using clamshell-bucket methods. Excavation
of the 132-foot ID (40 m) Pump Station Shaft
and the 76-foot ID (23 m) Screening Shaft at
the Treatment Plant site have both reached
Seven design-build teams
submitted Statements of
Qualifications for ART in
December 2011. Of these,
three were short listed.
These teams then particiBlue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility along
pated in a nine-month-long
Potomac River. Photo courtesy of Traylor Bros., Inc.
collaboration process with
temporary slab elevation. These shafts are
DC Water. Jacobs Associates provided technibeing readied for launch of the tunnel boring
cal support during this process. The three
machine (TBM), scheduled for late May 2013.
shortlisted teams submitted both technical and
price proposals on January 15, 2013. DC Water
The fifth shaft slurry wall, with a 60-foot ID
is in the process of selecting a design-build
(18 m), located near Nationals Park in southteam based on a best value selection. The new
west DC, is scheduled for completion by May
team is expected to be selected in early spring.
2013. Prior to the start of shaft construction,
Fast Tracking First Street
a large-scale soil mixing operation—consistTunnel to Address Flooding
ing of nearly 170 soil mix columns, 3 to 8 feet
(1.0–2.5 m) in diameter, and 40 to 50-feet (12
Long-term flood prevention for the Bloomingto 15 m) deep—was installed to improve the
dale and LeDroit Park residential neighborsoft fill and alluvial material at the site.
hoods in northern DC is a key part of the Clean
Choosing Design-Builder
Rivers project. The most northern, or upstream,
for Anacostia River Tunnel
of the proposed flood control tunnels affecting
these neighborhoods is the First Street TunThe Anacostia River Tunnel (ART) project is
nel (FST)—a 2,700-foot-long (823 m), 80- to
presently undergoing selection of its design160-foot-deep (24–49 m) soft ground tunnel.
build team. ART is the second large-diameter
Its minimum inside diameter is 18.5 feet (5.6
tunnel contract of the DC Clean Rivers Project. m). Four drop shafts will be required to divert
The tunnel drive will begin near RFK Stadium wet weather flows into the tunnel.
and connect to the Blue Plains Tunnel at the
Continued on page 8
Poplar Point Junction Shaft. The ART project
more news inside
Washington, DC 571.357.1879
Auckland, New Zealand +64 9 551 2325
Docklands, VIC, AUS +61 3 8102 1800
Vancouver, BC, Canada 604.336.8630
Hitting Number 23 on the Trenchless
Technology’s Top 50 List
Jacobs Associates provides practical, cost-effective, and innovative
solutions for difficult underground projects and excels in the water,
wastewater, and transportation sectors. With an emphasis on tunnels
and shafts, we offer a full range of design and construction management capabilities. We also offer the broader heavy civil construction
industry a robust package of claims and dispute resolution services.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Project Announcements
Principal’s Message
Project Awards
Just Answers
Retrofitting BART Tunnel
Gorge 2nd Tunnel Final Design
•
•
•
•
•
•
Four SoCal Project Wins
San Jacinto Tunnel
Vermont Trenchless Rehabilitation
Muck Bucket
Community Involvement
New Lead Associate
Project announcements
Central Subway TBMs on the Move
In February, Jacobs Associates and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)
witnessed factory acceptance testing of Mom Chung, the first of the Central Subway Project’s
two earth pressure balance tunnel boring machines (TBMs). Contractor Barnard Impregilo
Healy JV, who was awarded the tunneling contract in January 2012 for $233.6 million, ordered
the two TBMs from the Robbins Company. Mom Chung shipped from Guangzhou, China, on
March 18, and the second TBM (Big Alma) will follow in a few weeks.
Excavation begins this summer after TBM assembly in the launch box under an active San Francisco freeway. Each of the twin tunnels is approximately 1.5 miles long (2.4 km) and will be
excavated primarily through the Colma and Franciscan formations, passing closely under existing Muni and BART tunnels. One-pass, precast concrete segments with gaskets are being fabricated by Precast Management Corporation in Nevada. TBM launch box installation is currently
being completed, and work is proceeding on headwalls for two of the underground stations as
well as compensation grout tubes and shafts for building protection during construction. Jacobs
Associates is providing program management and construction management for the $1.6 billion
Central Subway Program.
Jacobs Associates and SFMTA staff with
Mom Chung. Photo courtesy of The Robbins Co.
TBM Bound for Landmark Waterview Project
New Zealand’s landmark Waterview Connection project is one step closer to tunneling. The
New Zealand Transport Agency’s Well-Connected Alliance formally accepted the world’s 10th
largest TBM at a ceremony at the Herrenknecht factory in Guangzhou, China, on March 7. The
14.5-meter-diameter (47.6 ft) TBM was specifically designed for the unique ground conditions
that will be encountered on this NZ$1.4 billion project, the biggest transport construction
project in New Zealand’s history. The handover marks completion of 14 months of design, building, and testing. The TBM is due to arrive in Auckland in July, and will be reassembled at the
project’s southern portal. Tunneling is scheduled to begin October. Jacobs Associates provided
tunnel consulting services to NZTA during preparation of the minimum requirements for the
tenders, then served as NZTA “embeds” on the two tender teams competing for the project.
During the detailed design phase, we are providing peer review services to the alliance for the
design of all tunnel and retaining wall structures.
Waterview TBM at Herrenknecht factory in China.
Bay Tunnel Hole-Through Milestone!
On January 11 at 3 a.m., construction crews made history when the 15-foot-diameter (4.56 m)
Hitachi-Zosen EPB-TBM reached the Newark Shaft location in the East Bay. The 5-mile-long
(8 km) Bay Tunnel is the first TBM-excavated tunnel under San Francisco Bay, and the flagship
project of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s Water System Improvement Program
(WSIP). The Michels/Jay Dee/Coluccio joint venture completed excavation in just 16 months—
8 months ahead of schedule. The tunnel lies at depths ranging from 75 to 110 feet (23 to 34 m)
in sandy and silty clays under high groundwater pressures of up to 3.5 bar, and passes through
a short section of highly weathered Franciscan Complex bedrock. The miners are now preparing
the tunnel for installation of the 108-inch-diameter (2,740 mm) steel liner. The steel pipe, manufactured in California, will be installed in 40-foot (12.2 m) sections, welded together inside
the tunnel, and backfilled with cellular concrete. As the prime consultant, Jacobs Associates
led the tunnel design and is currently providing construction support services.
Newark Retrieval Shaft TBM hole through.
2
3
8
Clean Rivers continued from page 1
Principal’s message by Gregg Davidson, PE, CEng
Relocating or Working Remotely: Which Is Best?
Jacobs Associates has seen considerable
growth, both in staff size and geographical
location of our offices and projects, over the
last decade. This growth has been made possible by providing the appropriate level of
professional expertise to not only successfully
pursue a project but, more importantly, to
deliver the project to a client’s expectations.
even across the globe. This has and continues
to work well, although, in our experience, it is
only successful when the remote workers are
“anchored” by a strong team at the project location. This is easy to say, but not so easy to do.
Over the last few years, we here at Jacobs Associates have spent a considerable amount of
time seeking to structure an approach that
meets our client’s requirements while also providing our staff with career-developing work in
an environment that they enjoy. In terms of the
growth of the firm, the biggest asset we have
is our staff. It is important to maintain this
talent by recognizing each person’s individual
strengths, both professionally and personally.
As a specialist firm in the underground industry that does not have a presence in all
the major US cities, we have been selective
in strategically developing an approach to
increasing, or even initiating, our presence
in various market locations. Initially that was
often achieved by teaming with strong local
partners. This approach has served us well
as we have expanded and has allowed us to
readily provide our talents and expertise
to new owners and partners.
To sustain and enhance this growth, however,
a more long-term approach is required. In our
industry, and with the communication means
currently available, it is not uncommon to have
staff working remotely around the country, and
We have found that “one size” does not fit all.
Moving to a new location can be more difficult
for some staff than for others. However, the
prospect of working on a project that is challenging professionally provides an encouragement to staff members to seek alternative
means of getting involved. That could be by
working remotely, and/or frequent travel to
the project site. There is no benefit in forcing
all staff to move to
a location on a permanent/long-term
basis. Staff retention
will suffer. However,
no one benefits from
a completely remote
approach.
second QUARTER
Gregg Davidson is
currently based in the
firm’s Seattle office.
He is the northwest
regional manager and
also serves as deputy
project manager for
the final design contract on the Northgate
Link Extension Light
Rail project in Seattle.
The key is to strike a
balance. We encourage our staff members to find ways of
working that suit
them, while always
recognizing that as we grow in a particular
center we must provide our anchor—staff
invested in the project, area, and region. We
have found that successful growth in new regions occurs once there is a champion—someone on the ground and wanting to take on new
challenges. Others will follow, in person and/
or remotely.
Because of intense flooding in these neighborhoods during the summer and fall of
2012, a Mayor’s Task Force recommended
that the FST be fast tracked ahead of other
tunnel contracts and established a completion
date of March 2016. The FST will initially be
used to temporarily store excess storm water
during weather events. After such an event, a
temporary pumping station will dewater the
tunnel and discharge the stored water back
into the existing sewer system. Within 10
years of completion of the FST project,
the remainder of the Clean Rivers tunnel system will be completed, allowing
the FST to gravity flow to the Blue Plains
Plant for treatment, without pumping.
To achieve the flood reduction by 2016,
the Request for Proposal (RFP) is being
generated and design-build teams will
be shortlisted by spring 2013. The RFP
will be released at a 30% design level, but
finalized through collaboration with the shortlisted teams. Technical and cost proposals will
be submitted in September 2013, and the selected design-build team will be given Notice
to Proceed in October 2013. Reaping the Benefits of BIM
Brightwater BT3 and Sunnydale Garner Awards
Two Jacobs Associates projects were honored
for the high quality of their design. On January
18, the Brightwater Conveyance System–BT3
Completion Contract received a Silver Award
for “original/innovative application of new or
existing techniques” from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Washington.
On March 6, the Sunnydale Auxiliary Sewer
Tunnel project team accepted the American
Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Region 9
Outstanding Collection System Project Award.
Brightwater’s BT3 Completion (BT3C)
Contract provided an innovative contract
solution to complete the BT-3 tunnel section of
the Brightwater Conveyance System project.
The Brightwater project consists of approximately 13 miles (21 km) of large-diameter
tunnels, constructed at depths of 40 to 440 feet
(12–134 m) below the ground surface through
an urban/suburban area. During BT-3 tunnel
construction, the TBM experienced excessive
wear and was abandoned halfway into its
20,000-foot-long (6,096 m) drive. To complete
excavation, King County negotiated the new
cost-reimbursable BT3C Contract with the Jay
Dee/Coluccio Joint Venture. Direct access to
the TBM from the ground surface was not feasible because of high groundwater pressures
and a tunnel depth of about 320 feet (98 m).
Therefore, the approach selected by the design
team and King County had the smaller BT3C
TBM mine into the abandoned shield of the
larger BT-3 TBM, utilizing ground freezing for
ground improvement.
Because of a highly collaborative effort by
contractors, owner, and designer, the BT3
Completion Tunnel was completed quickly and
successfully.
BT3C Tunnel Team.
SFPUC, SF Department of Public Works and Jacobs
Associates receiving ASCE Region 9 award.
VolUME 32
The Sunnydale Auxiliary Sewer Tunnel
significantly increases the capacity and operational flexibility of San Francisco Public Utility
Commission’s (SFPUC) existing 100-year-old
sewer system in the Visitacion Valley community. The new 5,370-foot-long (1,367 m), 8- to
12-foot-diameter (2.4–3.7 m) sewer tunnel
will be an important best management tool to
minimize localized flooding in the City and
reduce combined sewer discharges into the
San Francisco Bay.
The project team addressed the many challenges of this tunnel project by innovative use
of technology and equipment, teamwork, sound
decision making, value engineering, and an
understanding of community and stakeholder
concerns. The tunnel was completed successfully, safely, under the established budget and
schedule, and in compliance with local subcontracting and hiring requirements.
The project goal was always at the forefront:
to provide this disadvantaged community with
localized storm flooding protection and reliable wastewater service for the next hundred
years. The Sunnydale Auxiliary Sewer Tunnel
is a model for wastewater improvement efforts
in SFPUC’s recently initiated Sewer System
Improvement Program.
Early in Jacobs Associates’ involvement, a decision was made to use Building Information
Modeling (BIM) on all near-surface structures
and drop shafts to improve drawing coordination and the overall quality of documentation.
Once the workflow began, however, it became
nimble assessment
of design changes
as they occur. The
models also increase
visibility (and therefore predictability)
into the design and
construction process by assembling all the major design
components holistically. Doing
this when decisions are fluid gives the
team an opportunity to respond to traditional
downstream considerations earlier in the process. The models also yield accurate
quantity take-offs for cost estimates
as well as an ideal workbench for
constructability review. Finally,
model-derived isometric drawings
allow readers an excellent overview
to the contract drawings.
3D assembly of Main Pump Station diversion
structures and drop shaft to Blue Plains Tunnel.
clear the models were adding value in ways
that went well beyond our original intent.
Coordination and clash detection are often at
the top of every BIM wish list, but the value
doesn’t end there. The parametric or associative nature of object-based solid modeling
creates a flexible environment, allowing for
The Clean Rivers project team has been leveraging the value of BIM through every step of
the design process—improving work quality,
increasing visibility for all project stakeholders, and identifying change when change is
inexpensive to make.
Mark is a senior staff engineer working on
the Blue Plains Tunnel project. Amanda is a
senior project engineer working on the Anacostia River Tunnel project. Joel is a lead associate working on First Street Tunnel design.
Eric is a senior project consultant on multiple
work packages for the Clean Rivers project.
He brings proven project management
expertise in the delivery of transit
stations, from preliminary and final
design through construction. Andrew
was an integral team member in the
successful design and construction of
the Sea-Tac Link Light Rail Station and Tukwila
Boulevard Station along the Central Link Light
Rail route that connects Seattle–Tacoma Inter­
national Airport to downtown Seattle. Additionally, he served as the project manager for the
We appreciate your feedback.
finalliner@jacobssf.com
Visit us at www.jacobssf.com
or call us at 800.842.3794
Executive Editor Victor Romero, PE, CPEng
Managing Editors Rebecca Anicich, CPSM;
Julie McCullough (Acting)
Contributing Editors Lauren Curley; LE McCutcheon,
CPSM; PJ Roscoe; Carl Williams
Art Direction/Design Seth McGinnis
San Francisco, CA 415.434.1822
Boston, MA 781.852.0450
Cleveland, OH 216.292.9710
New York, NY 212.376.1310
Pasadena, CA 626.737.6520
© 2013 Jacobs Associates
architectural finishes of the Terminal
Walkway Pedestrian Bridge that links
Sea-Tac Link Light Rail Station to an
existing airport parking garage.
Currently, Andrew is the contract
package lead for the Northgate Link Light Rail
Extension elevated guideway and station in
the Northgate area of Seattle. He holds MA and
BA degrees in Architecture from the University
of Washington.
Portland, OR 503.227.1800
San Diego, CA 619.565.2747
Seattle, WA 206.588.8200
Walnut Creek, CA 925.945.0677
Each year, Trenchless Technology magazine surveys North American engineering firms involved in the trenchless field for its annual Top 50 Trenchless Design Firm showcase. This year
Jacobs Associates ranked at number 23—up from a ranking of 35 in 2011. The increase is a
result of our new Trenchless Services Center, established in 2011 in Walnut Creek, California,
which has expanded our capabilities in trenchless technology services and geotechnical engineering, including laboratory testing of soil and rock samples.
Project update by Mark Kroncke, PE, Amanda Morgan, PE, Joel Kantola, PE, and Eric Westergren
DC Clean Rivers Project Update
consists of a 12,500-footlong (3,810 m), 23-foot ID
(7 m), 100- to 120-footdeep (30–37 m) soft
ground tunnel. Additionally, there are six drop shafts,
three of which have deep
adit connections to the
ART, as well as two diversion chamber and several
near-surface structures.
Assembly of Blue Plains Tunnel
TBM main drive and shield.
The DC Clean Rivers project consists of several
large-diameter soft ground tunnels that divert
storm water and combined sewer overflow
(CSO) by gravity from combined sewers near the
Anacostia and Potomac rivers to the Blue Plains
Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant (Blue
Plains Plant) at the southern tip of Washington
DC. Since 2009, Jacobs Associates has provided
program management services for the project’s
tunnel components. Below is an update on four
major aspects of this $2.6 billion District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water)
project, which continues to be on schedule.
Prepping for Blue Plains
Tunnel TBM Launch
Lead Associate Andrew Engel Welcomed
Andrew Engel, AIA, joined Jacobs Associates’
Seattle office in February as a Lead Associate.
Andrew has 23 years of diverse design experience, including 14 years specializing in the
management of architectural transit designs.
His understanding of the human factors of
built environments, especially transit stations
and their associated elements, will enhance
how Jacobs Associates addresses public spaces
and access within and around our underground structures.
2013
Work has steadily progressed on the Blue
Plains Tunnel. Slurry wall construction for four
of the five large-diameter shafts is complete.
Their inside diameters (ID) range from 50 to
132 feet (15–40 m), and their depths from
110 to 170 feet (34–52 m). Excavation of the
50-foot ID (15 m) Bolling Air Force Base Drop
Shaft and the 55-foot ID (17 m) Poplar Point
Junction Shaft will be performed in the wet
using clamshell-bucket methods. Excavation
of the 132-foot ID (40 m) Pump Station Shaft
and the 76-foot ID (23 m) Screening Shaft at
the Treatment Plant site have both reached
Seven design-build teams
submitted Statements of
Qualifications for ART in
December 2011. Of these,
three were short listed.
These teams then particiBlue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility along
pated in a nine-month-long
Potomac River. Photo courtesy of Traylor Bros., Inc.
collaboration process with
temporary slab elevation. These shafts are
DC Water. Jacobs Associates provided technibeing readied for launch of the tunnel boring
cal support during this process. The three
machine (TBM), scheduled for late May 2013.
shortlisted teams submitted both technical and
price proposals on January 15, 2013. DC Water
The fifth shaft slurry wall, with a 60-foot ID
is in the process of selecting a design-build
(18 m), located near Nationals Park in southteam based on a best value selection. The new
west DC, is scheduled for completion by May
team is expected to be selected in early spring.
2013. Prior to the start of shaft construction,
Fast Tracking First Street
a large-scale soil mixing operation—consistTunnel to Address Flooding
ing of nearly 170 soil mix columns, 3 to 8 feet
(1.0–2.5 m) in diameter, and 40 to 50-feet (12
Long-term flood prevention for the Bloomingto 15 m) deep—was installed to improve the
dale and LeDroit Park residential neighborsoft fill and alluvial material at the site.
hoods in northern DC is a key part of the Clean
Choosing Design-Builder
Rivers project. The most northern, or upstream,
for Anacostia River Tunnel
of the proposed flood control tunnels affecting
these neighborhoods is the First Street TunThe Anacostia River Tunnel (ART) project is
nel (FST)—a 2,700-foot-long (823 m), 80- to
presently undergoing selection of its design160-foot-deep (24–49 m) soft ground tunnel.
build team. ART is the second large-diameter
Its minimum inside diameter is 18.5 feet (5.6
tunnel contract of the DC Clean Rivers Project. m). Four drop shafts will be required to divert
The tunnel drive will begin near RFK Stadium wet weather flows into the tunnel.
and connect to the Blue Plains Tunnel at the
Continued on page 8
Poplar Point Junction Shaft. The ART project
more news inside
Washington, DC 571.357.1879
Auckland, New Zealand +64 9 551 2325
Docklands, VIC, AUS +61 3 8102 1800
Vancouver, BC, Canada 604.336.8630
Hitting Number 23 on the Trenchless
Technology’s Top 50 List
Jacobs Associates provides practical, cost-effective, and innovative
solutions for difficult underground projects and excels in the water,
wastewater, and transportation sectors. With an emphasis on tunnels
and shafts, we offer a full range of design and construction management capabilities. We also offer the broader heavy civil construction
industry a robust package of claims and dispute resolution services.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Project Announcements
Principal’s Message
Project Awards
Just Answers
Retrofitting BART Tunnel
Gorge 2nd Tunnel Final Design
•
•
•
•
•
•
Four SoCal Project Wins
San Jacinto Tunnel
Vermont Trenchless Rehabilitation
Muck Bucket
Community Involvement
New Lead Associate
Project announcements
Central Subway TBMs on the Move
In February, Jacobs Associates and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)
witnessed factory acceptance testing of Mom Chung, the first of the Central Subway Project’s
two earth pressure balance tunnel boring machines (TBMs). Contractor Barnard Impregilo
Healy JV, who was awarded the tunneling contract in January 2012 for $233.6 million, ordered
the two TBMs from the Robbins Company. Mom Chung shipped from Guangzhou, China, on
March 18, and the second TBM (Big Alma) will follow in a few weeks.
Excavation begins this summer after TBM assembly in the launch box under an active San Francisco freeway. Each of the twin tunnels is approximately 1.5 miles long (2.4 km) and will be
excavated primarily through the Colma and Franciscan formations, passing closely under existing Muni and BART tunnels. One-pass, precast concrete segments with gaskets are being fabricated by Precast Management Corporation in Nevada. TBM launch box installation is currently
being completed, and work is proceeding on headwalls for two of the underground stations as
well as compensation grout tubes and shafts for building protection during construction. Jacobs
Associates is providing program management and construction management for the $1.6 billion
Central Subway Program.
Jacobs Associates and SFMTA staff with
Mom Chung. Photo courtesy of The Robbins Co.
TBM Bound for Landmark Waterview Project
New Zealand’s landmark Waterview Connection project is one step closer to tunneling. The
New Zealand Transport Agency’s Well-Connected Alliance formally accepted the world’s 10th
largest TBM at a ceremony at the Herrenknecht factory in Guangzhou, China, on March 7. The
14.5-meter-diameter (47.6 ft) TBM was specifically designed for the unique ground conditions
that will be encountered on this NZ$1.4 billion project, the biggest transport construction
project in New Zealand’s history. The handover marks completion of 14 months of design, building, and testing. The TBM is due to arrive in Auckland in July, and will be reassembled at the
project’s southern portal. Tunneling is scheduled to begin October. Jacobs Associates provided
tunnel consulting services to NZTA during preparation of the minimum requirements for the
tenders, then served as NZTA “embeds” on the two tender teams competing for the project.
During the detailed design phase, we are providing peer review services to the alliance for the
design of all tunnel and retaining wall structures.
Waterview TBM at Herrenknecht factory in China.
Bay Tunnel Hole-Through Milestone!
On January 11 at 3 a.m., construction crews made history when the 15-foot-diameter (4.56 m)
Hitachi-Zosen EPB-TBM reached the Newark Shaft location in the East Bay. The 5-mile-long
(8 km) Bay Tunnel is the first TBM-excavated tunnel under San Francisco Bay, and the flagship
project of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s Water System Improvement Program
(WSIP). The Michels/Jay Dee/Coluccio joint venture completed excavation in just 16 months—
8 months ahead of schedule. The tunnel lies at depths ranging from 75 to 110 feet (23 to 34 m)
in sandy and silty clays under high groundwater pressures of up to 3.5 bar, and passes through
a short section of highly weathered Franciscan Complex bedrock. The miners are now preparing
the tunnel for installation of the 108-inch-diameter (2,740 mm) steel liner. The steel pipe, manufactured in California, will be installed in 40-foot (12.2 m) sections, welded together inside
the tunnel, and backfilled with cellular concrete. As the prime consultant, Jacobs Associates
led the tunnel design and is currently providing construction support services.
Newark Retrieval Shaft TBM hole through.
4
5
6
7
4
5
6
7
just answers by Stephanie Fekete
Project update by Phaidra Campbell
Project update by Karen Quinn, PE, and John Yao, PE, GE
Project update by Brad Murray, PE
Upgrading the Designer’s Digital Toolbox
Gorge 2nd Tunnel Final Design Services Completed
San Jacinto Tunnel: Adit Inspection and Repair
Vermont Trenchless Culvert Rehabilitation
Tunnel design engineers always seek better
tools to understand ground behavior. Continuum modeling has improved our prediction
of ground mass deformation and evaluation of
tunnel support requirements. For homogenous
materials that deform as a unit—soils, massive bedrock, highly jointed rock—we can use
PLAXIS, Phase2, or FLAC software. However,
in blocky materials, an excavation’s stability is
governed by movement along rock discontinuities. The state-of-practice for assessing such
stability relies on limit equilibrium software
like RocScience’s Unwedge. However, only
simple wedges can be modeled, and only one
wedge assessed at a time.
November 2012 marked completion of the Jacobs
Associates–led Final Design Services for the Gorge
2nd Tunnel (G2T) project. Services consisted of
design of a second power tunnel through rock
between the existing Gorge Dam and the Gorge
Powerhouse to increase the efficiency and powergenerating capacity of the powerhouse. Gorge Powerhouse is located on the Skagit River, in northern
Washington State, and is one of three generating
facilities operated by Seattle City Light (SCL) as
part of the Skagit Hydroelectric Project. The second
power tunnel will reduce head loss between the
dam and powerhouse, raise head pressure at the
turbines, increase torque on the generators, and
produce more power for any given flow.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) performed inspections of
San Jacinto Tunnel’s east entrance adit in 2002
and 2003. These inspections revealed numerous cracks and areas of distress in the concrete
lining for a segment of the adit. Since that time,
Metropolitan has closely monitored the adit for
damage and has performed annual inspections
to ensure that it is safe for access. In 2009, Metropolitan commissioned a tunnel repair study by
Jacobs Associates to evaluate the adit structure
condition and feasible repair alternatives. Subsequently, Metropolitan hired Jacobs Associates
to provide engineering services for adit repair,
which includes structural design, preparation
of contract documents, and preparation of construction cost and schedule estimates.
Discontinuum modeling, using software such as
Itasca’s 3DEC and UDEC, allows creation of a rock
mass model (in 2D or 3D) based on the designer’s
understanding of the rock mass structure. The
designer can: (1) create a block of rock with specific properties; (2) divide it into smaller elements
by following the natural discontinuities or joint
sets and assign them specific properties (strength,
stiffness, etc.); (3) apply boundary conditions (in
situ stresses and gravity); and (4) virtually “excavate” the tunnel, allowing the rock blocks to move
and interact as discrete bodies over “time.”
This type of modeling is a powerful tool for
confirming rock support requirements, in-
cluding rock bolts (spacing, length,
loads) and structural liners (loads).
However, for the rock mass model to
be sufficiently representative, a realistic database of rock mass structural
features must be generated to provide
reasonable understanding of the rock
discontinuities present.
CROWN
Conventionally, discontinuity data are
obtained from borehole logging and
field mapping of surface outcrops or
underground excavations. Because
FACE
of recent advances, laser scanning
technology (LiDAR) can be a key tool
for rapid and detailed documentation
of a given rock mass. The scanner can
TUNNEL
produce a 3D point cloud model with
ADVANCE
millions of points in geometric space
DIRECTION
at an outcrop or tunnel excavation
face in as little as 5 minutes. The rapid
3D LiDAR scan of tunnel heading: Joint surfaces identified
scanning of the tunnel heading reduces
and shown as circular planes intersecting model.
geotechnical mapping interference with
construction activities. The resulting disconpersistence can have a dramatic effect on the
tinuity database provides the foundation for a
results, so the model must always be calibrated
highly representative 3D rock mass model.
with observed rock mass behavior.
Despite these advances in data collection, a
geotechnical engineer’s critical eye is still necessary to construct a representative rock mass
model. Parameters such as joint strength and
Stephanie is a senior staff engineer in the
Vancouver office, and recently coauthored a
journal paper on 3D scanning and discon­
tinuum modeling (see “Muck Bucket” below).
foot length (299 m), approximately 1,000 feet
(300 m) from the west portal.
The study will compare the cost benefits of different approaches for retrofitting the tunnels,
including the “do nothing” alternative. It will
also include development of design concepts,
cost estimates, and schedules for implementing
the concepts for retrofit. In addition, for each
approach, the study will evaluate cost and
The 2009 subsurface investigation included
John is the project manager for the San Jacinto
two exploration borings and seismic refraction
Tunnel adit repair design. Karen is the project
surveys to verify the location of the soil-to-rock
engineer. Both work out of Jacobs Associates’
interface. The structural repair will extend from Pasadena office.
the adit entrance to a
short distance beyond the
interface for a total length
of 230 feet (70 m). The
recommended repair solution calls for shotcrete-encased steel sets, typically
spaced every 3.0 to 3.5
feet (0.9–1.1 m). The new
structural support system
will replace the existing lining’s function as
ground support, and has
been designed to survive
the Maximum Considered
Earthquake produced
Road leading to the San Jacinto
by a segment of the San
East Entrance Adit.
Andreas fault, located
also are assisting the City on 60% and 90%
technical specifications for this new 3.8-milelong-sewer (6.1 km) tunnel. The $5 million
CM Support Task Order will allow Jacobs Associates to continue providing support to the
CLA BOE’s Wastewater Conveyance Division
on construction management, scheduling,
claims consulting, cost estimating, constructability review, and document control services
for various projects.
Jacobs Associates is
assisting AMEC with
engineering services on the Wilshire
Grand Hotel Tower
redevelopment
project. The existing
15-story hotel is being redeveloped into
a 70-story, $1 billion hotel and office
complex. The new facility will have 900 hotel
rooms, 20 floors of office space, retail outfits,
and restaurants. Korean Airlines is the project
developer. The Tower will include a deep basement. Jacobs Associates will evaluate the impact of the basement excavation and building
structure on adjacent Metro Red Line subway
tunnels under 7th Street, develop a geotechnical instrumentation monitoring program, and
assist AMEC with the tunnel monitoring program during construction.
New Hires
Boyce
Havekost
Caruso
Congratulations go to Christopher Caruso, who recently
earned his PE license in the state
of Massachusetts, and Mark
Kroncke, who recently earned
his Professional Engineer (PE)
license in the state of California.
Bill Edgerton, PE, recently celebrated 25 years with Jacobs
Associates. For 12 of these years
he served as president, guiding the firm through a period of
Kroncke
Edgerton
significant geographical expansion and personnel growth,
while at the same time serving
as project or program manager
for several of Jacobs Associates’
signature projects, including the
Brightwater project in Seattle,
WA, and the DC Water CSO system in Washington, DC.
In January, Stephanie Fekete,
along with Mark Diederichs,
published “Integration of three
less than 3 miles (4.8 km) from the project site.
The design also requires contact grouting to fill
potential voids in the soil and ensure adequate
ground confinement around the adit structure.
Final design of the San Jacinto east entrance adit
repair is being completed in April 2013.
The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VAOT)
is rehabilitating and replacing metal culverts
installed during its original 1960s interstate
system construction. Historically, available
options were either rehabilitation through slip
lining or open-cut reconstruction. Rehabilitation typically resulted in loss of culvert hydraulic capacity, and open-cut reconstruction
required substantial traffic control and significantly impacted highway travel.
As part of the upgrade, the culverts in South
Burlington and Colchester in northern Vermont were recently rehabilitated. Both were
in an advanced state of deterioration and
within high earthen interstate embankments.
Teamed with McFarland-Johnson, Jacobs
Associates provided geotechnical site characterization, recommendations, and design for
trenchless construction methods. This project
was the recipient of a Federal Highway Administration “Highways for Life” grant, which
made it more affordable for VAOT.
The culverts are separated by a few miles
along Interstate 89. Environmental constraints
included adjacent streams and wetlands, and
embankments exceeded 30 feet (9.1 m) of cover
over the existing pipes. The original
Colchester culvert diameter was 108
inches (2,745 mm), and the South
Burlington culvert had a 72-inch
(1,830 mm) vertical ellipse. Each
culvert was approximately 300 feet
long (91 m).
Pipe ramming 60-inch culvert pipe adjacent
to existing slip-lined South Burlington culvert.
Fekete
Davidson
dimensional laser scanning with
discontinuum modelling for stability analysis of tunnels in blocky
rock masses” in the International
Journal of Rock Mechanics &
Mining Sciences, 57: 11–23.
Gregg Davidson was featured in
an interview in the April 2013 issue
of World Tunnelling magazine.
The Seattle office welcomed
Julian Franco, PMP, in March as a
Project Engineer. Julian received
his BS in Agriculture Business
and Management Engineering from the San Buenaventura
University of Cali, Colombia, and
holds a Project Manager Professional Certification (PMP) from
the Project Manager Institute. For
the last 8 years, Julian has provided project management support at Sound Transit in Seattle,
WA, including the Northgate Link
Extension Project.
transfers
Keith Johnson joined Jacobs
Associates in March as a Marketing Manager and is based in the
San Francisco office. He spent the
last 12 years with a major A/E company as a proposal manager and
lead graphic designer, serving a 19
state region in the Western United
States. Keith’s background also
includes print production, social
media, newsletters, and other marketing communications. He looks
forward to expanding his horizons
to include strategic marketing and
business development support.
Wayne Kilker, PE, recently joined
the Boston office as a Senior
Project Consultant. He has over
40 years of experience in the
geotechnical industry, and over
25 years on tunnel and shaft projects. Wayne previously worked
on the Baltimore Red Line Tunnel Extension Risk Assessment
project. He received an MS in
Geotechnical Engineering from
Arizona State University and a BS
degree from the University of Minnesota. He is assisting on the DC
Clean Rivers Project and Ottawa
Light Rail Transit Tunnel Project.
Thomas Pallua joined the Seattle
office in March as a Project
Geologist. Thomas has an MS
in Geology from the University
of Padova in Italy. He has more
than 10 years of geotechnical
consulting experience, including
7 years as owner and manager
of a geotechnical consulting firm
in Brunico, Italy. His experience
includes both privately and publicly owned projects, including
feasibility studies for hydropower
plants, geological and geotechnical work for civil construction,
and hydrogeological work.
The design required slip lining the
existing corrugated metal pipe culverts and installing new adjacent
parallel crossings using trenchless
methods. Contract documents
provided for use of a range of preselected trenchless methods and lining
options for the contractor, Morrill Construction,
to choose from that were considered appropriate based on project design requirements and
anticipated ground conditions. A contractor-led
value engineering proposal allowed for the
increase in hydraulic capacity of the existing
culverts by enlarging the slip-line pipe diameter
after removing a portion of the existing culvert
inverts to eliminate a pipe sag. This rendered
construction of the new Colchester parallel
culvert crossing unnecessary, resulting in significant cost savings. The new 60-inch-diameter
(1,525 mm) culvert in South Burlington was
installed by pipe ramming.
This VAOT project is a successful example of
the use of trenchless technology for construction on larger culverts with higher fills. It
demonstrates the feasibility of using contract
specifications for trenchless culvert installation
that provide options for installation method
and pipe material. VAOT will be able to apply
lessons learned from this project to future culvert rehabilitations.
Brad is a senior project engineer in Jacobs
Associates’ Boston office. He developed the
VAOT project’s geotechnical baseline report
and trenchless contract specifications.
San Francisco Office Volunteers at SF Food Bank
NEIS Phase 2A and CM Support Task
Orders are associated with the CLA BOE’s
Prequalified On-Call Wastewater and Environmental Engineering contract, which the
City of Los Angeles renewed for an additional
five years. Jacobs Associates assisted the
Bureau of Engineering with preliminary and
final design, construction management, and
engineering support during construction on
NEIS Phase 1, and recently completed the
50% design package review on NEIS 2A. We
schedule for repairing the tunnels and
restoring train service
for different levels of fault offset. A cost benefit
analysis will then be performed to determine
which alternative would provide the most
benefit to BART. The analysis will include an
evaluation of the overall economic impact on
the San Francisco Bay Area for the loss of train
service for the estimated duration of repair.
Staff Recognition
On February 12, Glenn Boyce,
PhD, PE, taught “Shaft Design
and Construction” at the
annual Colorado School of
Mines Pilot Tube Tunneling/
Microtunneling Short Course.
At the Northwest Hydroelectric Association’s Annual
Conference on February 20,
Mark Havekost, PE, gave a
presentation on “the designer’s perspective for remote
site projects” as part of the
“Northern Lights—Getting
Hydro Work Done in Remote
Locations” panel.
An excavated tunnel diameter of 22 feet (6.7 m)
was selected during the preliminary engineering
phase based on results from hydraulic analysis,
The San Jacinto Tunnel is part of the Colorado
River Aqueduct, which conveys water from the
Colorado River at Lake Havasu to Lake Mathews
with a system of pumping stations, canals,
tunnels, buried conduit, and siphons. The east
entrance adit of the San Jacinto Tunnel was
built in the 1930s to provide ingress and egress
for construction activities at the eastern end
of the tunnel. The 300-foot-long (91 m) adit
is a 16-foot-high by 16-foot-wide (4.9 x 4.9 m)
horseshoe-shaped tunnel with an unreinforced
concrete lining. It begins in alluvial soil at the
entrance and descends into bedrock after a
couple of hundred feet. Although the integrity
of the adit does not directly impact aqueduct
operation, the adit facilitates inspections and
maintenance of the main tunnel.
Four Southern California Project Wins
Retrofitting BART’s Berkeley Hills Tunnel
Jacobs Associates was recently awarded a feasibility study contract to evaluate various alternatives to retrofit the Bay Area Rapid Transit
(BART) Berkeley Hills Tunnel so that train
service can be reestablished quickly following
an earthquake event on the Hayward fault.
The 3.2-mile-long (5.1 km) twin tunnels pass
through the Berkeley Hills east of Berkeley and
Oakland and cross through the active Hayward
fault zone—estimated to extend over a 980
The design team consisted of Jacobs Associates
(project management, tunnel and structural design, construction scheduling, cost estimating),
HDR (hydraulics, water management, FERC
license preparation), Northwest Hydraulics
(hydraulic modeling), Herrera Environmental
(Bacon Creek Quarry restoration), Pacific
Geomatic Services (surveying), and Aspect
Consulting (geotechnical investigation).
cost/benefit analysis, and schedule estimates.
Although SCL put project construction temHowever, at the 75% design phase, the tunnel
porarily on hold, construction documents are
diameter was optimized to 23 feet (7 m) to further ready to go when approval is given to comimprove hydraulic performance and reduce water mence construction. Final design was develvelocities in the unlined tunnel sections. G2T will
oped through constant interaction between the
be approximately 10,475 feet long (3,193 m) and
design team and SCL, including site visits, risk
parallel the existing 20.5-foot-diameter (6.2 m)
management meetings, and the existing tunnel’s
concrete-lined power tunnel. Most of the excainspection in 2010.
vation will be with a main beam tunnel boring
machine; however, portions of the access tunnel
Phaidra Campbell is a project engineer for G2T
and power tunnel connections will be excavated
and currently works in the San Francisco office.
using drill-and-blast methods.
Rock along the alignment consists
of Skagit Gneiss, a mineralogically
banded, metamorphosed igneous rock of granitic composition.
Most of the rock is anticipated to
be strong and durable enough that
the tunnel can remain unlined
after construction. Other project
features include upstream and
downstream connections, a tunnel plug with steel bulkhead door,
a rock trap, temporary bulkhead
connections, rock scaling and
bolting at the tunnel portal, water
management during construction,
Gorge Dam and Intake Structure looking
and site restoration of Bacon Creek
downstream on the Skagit River.
Quarry using tunnel spoils.
In February, Bob Regazzini was
hired as a Senior Project Consultant in the Boston Office. Bob’s
focus is on developing detailed
construction cost estimates and
schedules, and providing design
support. He graduated from
Northeastern University with a
BS in Civil Engineering, and has
over 30 years of experience in
design and construction, including tunnels. Bob is currently
assisting with the DC Clean Rivers Project.
The Washington DC office welcomed Jenn Roberts as a Senior
Staff Engineer in March. Jenn
holds an MS from Imperial College London in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her project
experience includes the redesign
of London’s Paddington Station,
where she led the design team’s
CEEQUAL (LEED Certification
equivalent) certification process.
The station received the highest
possible rating.
David Trumble joined the Melbourne office as a Project Engineer in February. His experience
includes design and construction of above- and below-ground
structures, and hydropower and
transport infrastructure projects.
He received his BE with Honors
in Civil Engineering from Monash
University in Melbourne, Australia.
Steven Zhou, PE, joined the
Cleveland office in March as a
Senior Project Engineer. Steven
has worked on a diverse range of
underground projects, performing geotechnical and structural
design services. He has a PhD in
Geotechnical Engineering from
Ohio State University and MS
and BS degrees in Geotechnical
and Structural Engineering from
Tongji University in Shanghai,
China.
The River Supply Conduit Lower Reach Unit
1A (RSC-1A) is part of the Silver Lake Reservoir
Complex (SLRC) Replacement Project, on
which Jacobs Associates recently provided tunnel design services to the City of Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power (LADWP).
As a subconsultant to AMEC, we are now
providing design support and field monitoring
services during construction for the RSC-1A.
The 6,400-foot-long (1,951 m) pipeline section,
which includes a 2,890-foot-long (881 m)
tunnel beneath Griffith Park, is part of a series of
new water lines connecting a new hydroelectric
generating station to the Headworks Reservoir to
reserve storage capacity after the SLRC is removed
from the LADWP water distribution system. The
RSC 1A tunnel will be excavated through weathered
granitic rock and alluvial soils using an earth balance pressure tunnel boring machine (EPB TBM).
papers presented
Project Engineer Kush Chohan,
PE, transferred from the San
Francisco to the New York
office, where he is working
on the Rondout-West Branch
Bypass Tunnel project.
Jacobs Associates staff members publish papers in proceedings
for both national and international conferences, contributing to the
advancement of underground engineering.
In March, Senior Staff Engineer
Amy Arnold transferred from
Seattle to Auckland She is presently working on the Waterview
Connection for the New Zealand
Transport Authority.
Culvert Replacement under High
Interstate Embankments. Brad
Murray and Dan Dobbels (Jacobs
Associates); Darren Benoit (McFarland-Johnson, Inc.); Danny Landry
and Greg Wilcox (Vermont Agency
of Transportation); Jason Morrill and
Barry Ward (Morrill Construction Co.).
NO-DIG CONFERENCE
(March 3–7)
Dealing with Piles in the Path
of Your Trenchless Installation.
Glenn Boyce, Mark Havekost,
Norm Joyal (Jacobs Associates).
Geotechnical Exploration and Modeling for HDD Design in CobbleRich Fluvial Deposits below I-5/
Sacramento River near Redding
California. Dru Nielson (Jacobs
Associates); Matthew Wallin (Bennett Trenchless Engineers); Donald
J. Kirker (NORCAL Geophysical
Consultants); Mike Fisher (Water
Works Engineers); Ryan Bailey (City
of Redding).
An Innovative Trenchless Technology: Mutual Tugging Method.
Xianping Yao and Xiaoyan Hu
(Shanghai Tunnel Engineering &
Rail Transit Design and Research
Institute); Yiming Sun and Glenn
Boyce (Jacobs Associates).
King County Uses New Shaft Technology on the Ballard Siphon Project. Ade Franklin and Marty Noble
(King County Wastewater Treatment
Dvn.); Jeremy Johnson (Jacobs
Associates); Doug Genzlinger (Tetra
Tech); Kim Staheli (Staheli Trenchless Consultants); John Fowler
(James W. Fowler Co.).
Miami-Dade’s Water Main Government Cut Replacement Project.
Glenn Boyce (JA); Steve Mancini (Ric-Man Construction); Craig
Camp (Hatch Mott MacDonald);
Rick Zavitz (Mears Group); Orlando
Castro (Hazen & Sawyer); Eduardo
Vega (Miami-Dade County Water
& Sewer Dept.).
On February 27, San Francisco office employees volunteered at the San Francisco Food Bank.
Heather Gregg, Vinnie Hung, Charlene Janzen,
Roozbeh Mikola, Isabelle Pawlik, Mike Reesor,
Theresa Umadhay, Yiming Sun, and Markus Williams helped to package over 3,400 pounds of rice for distribution to pantries and families in
the community. With 25,000 volunteers each year, and 450 partner organizations throughout
the community, the Food Bank provides a spectrum of services designed to support the health
and well-being of those in our community who are struggling to make ends meet.
Portland Office Supports Water for People
Jacobs Associates’ Portland office supported the Northwest Oregon Sub-section of Water
for People, which had its 7th Annual Gala in Portland, OR, on
February 9, 2013. The proceeds from the gala go directly to
the nonprofit organization, which helps people in developing
countries improve quality of life through the improvement of
sustainable drinking water, sanitation facilities, and hygiene
education programs.
4
5
6
7
4
5
6
7
just answers by Stephanie Fekete
Project update by Phaidra Campbell
Project update by Karen Quinn, PE, and John Yao, PE, GE
Project update by Brad Murray, PE
Upgrading the Designer’s Digital Toolbox
Gorge 2nd Tunnel Final Design Services Completed
San Jacinto Tunnel: Adit Inspection and Repair
Vermont Trenchless Culvert Rehabilitation
Tunnel design engineers always seek better
tools to understand ground behavior. Continuum modeling has improved our prediction
of ground mass deformation and evaluation of
tunnel support requirements. For homogenous
materials that deform as a unit—soils, massive bedrock, highly jointed rock—we can use
PLAXIS, Phase2, or FLAC software. However,
in blocky materials, an excavation’s stability is
governed by movement along rock discontinuities. The state-of-practice for assessing such
stability relies on limit equilibrium software
like RocScience’s Unwedge. However, only
simple wedges can be modeled, and only one
wedge assessed at a time.
November 2012 marked completion of the Jacobs
Associates–led Final Design Services for the Gorge
2nd Tunnel (G2T) project. Services consisted of
design of a second power tunnel through rock
between the existing Gorge Dam and the Gorge
Powerhouse to increase the efficiency and powergenerating capacity of the powerhouse. Gorge Powerhouse is located on the Skagit River, in northern
Washington State, and is one of three generating
facilities operated by Seattle City Light (SCL) as
part of the Skagit Hydroelectric Project. The second
power tunnel will reduce head loss between the
dam and powerhouse, raise head pressure at the
turbines, increase torque on the generators, and
produce more power for any given flow.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) performed inspections of
San Jacinto Tunnel’s east entrance adit in 2002
and 2003. These inspections revealed numerous cracks and areas of distress in the concrete
lining for a segment of the adit. Since that time,
Metropolitan has closely monitored the adit for
damage and has performed annual inspections
to ensure that it is safe for access. In 2009, Metropolitan commissioned a tunnel repair study by
Jacobs Associates to evaluate the adit structure
condition and feasible repair alternatives. Subsequently, Metropolitan hired Jacobs Associates
to provide engineering services for adit repair,
which includes structural design, preparation
of contract documents, and preparation of construction cost and schedule estimates.
Discontinuum modeling, using software such as
Itasca’s 3DEC and UDEC, allows creation of a rock
mass model (in 2D or 3D) based on the designer’s
understanding of the rock mass structure. The
designer can: (1) create a block of rock with specific properties; (2) divide it into smaller elements
by following the natural discontinuities or joint
sets and assign them specific properties (strength,
stiffness, etc.); (3) apply boundary conditions (in
situ stresses and gravity); and (4) virtually “excavate” the tunnel, allowing the rock blocks to move
and interact as discrete bodies over “time.”
This type of modeling is a powerful tool for
confirming rock support requirements, in-
cluding rock bolts (spacing, length,
loads) and structural liners (loads).
However, for the rock mass model to
be sufficiently representative, a realistic database of rock mass structural
features must be generated to provide
reasonable understanding of the rock
discontinuities present.
CROWN
Conventionally, discontinuity data are
obtained from borehole logging and
field mapping of surface outcrops or
underground excavations. Because
FACE
of recent advances, laser scanning
technology (LiDAR) can be a key tool
for rapid and detailed documentation
of a given rock mass. The scanner can
TUNNEL
produce a 3D point cloud model with
ADVANCE
millions of points in geometric space
DIRECTION
at an outcrop or tunnel excavation
face in as little as 5 minutes. The rapid
3D LiDAR scan of tunnel heading: Joint surfaces identified
scanning of the tunnel heading reduces
and shown as circular planes intersecting model.
geotechnical mapping interference with
construction activities. The resulting disconpersistence can have a dramatic effect on the
tinuity database provides the foundation for a
results, so the model must always be calibrated
highly representative 3D rock mass model.
with observed rock mass behavior.
Despite these advances in data collection, a
geotechnical engineer’s critical eye is still necessary to construct a representative rock mass
model. Parameters such as joint strength and
Stephanie is a senior staff engineer in the
Vancouver office, and recently coauthored a
journal paper on 3D scanning and discon­
tinuum modeling (see “Muck Bucket” below).
foot length (299 m), approximately 1,000 feet
(300 m) from the west portal.
The study will compare the cost benefits of different approaches for retrofitting the tunnels,
including the “do nothing” alternative. It will
also include development of design concepts,
cost estimates, and schedules for implementing
the concepts for retrofit. In addition, for each
approach, the study will evaluate cost and
The 2009 subsurface investigation included
John is the project manager for the San Jacinto
two exploration borings and seismic refraction
Tunnel adit repair design. Karen is the project
surveys to verify the location of the soil-to-rock
engineer. Both work out of Jacobs Associates’
interface. The structural repair will extend from Pasadena office.
the adit entrance to a
short distance beyond the
interface for a total length
of 230 feet (70 m). The
recommended repair solution calls for shotcrete-encased steel sets, typically
spaced every 3.0 to 3.5
feet (0.9–1.1 m). The new
structural support system
will replace the existing lining’s function as
ground support, and has
been designed to survive
the Maximum Considered
Earthquake produced
Road leading to the San Jacinto
by a segment of the San
East Entrance Adit.
Andreas fault, located
also are assisting the City on 60% and 90%
technical specifications for this new 3.8-milelong-sewer (6.1 km) tunnel. The $5 million
CM Support Task Order will allow Jacobs Associates to continue providing support to the
CLA BOE’s Wastewater Conveyance Division
on construction management, scheduling,
claims consulting, cost estimating, constructability review, and document control services
for various projects.
Jacobs Associates is
assisting AMEC with
engineering services on the Wilshire
Grand Hotel Tower
redevelopment
project. The existing
15-story hotel is being redeveloped into
a 70-story, $1 billion hotel and office
complex. The new facility will have 900 hotel
rooms, 20 floors of office space, retail outfits,
and restaurants. Korean Airlines is the project
developer. The Tower will include a deep basement. Jacobs Associates will evaluate the impact of the basement excavation and building
structure on adjacent Metro Red Line subway
tunnels under 7th Street, develop a geotechnical instrumentation monitoring program, and
assist AMEC with the tunnel monitoring program during construction.
New Hires
Boyce
Havekost
Caruso
Congratulations go to Christopher Caruso, who recently
earned his PE license in the state
of Massachusetts, and Mark
Kroncke, who recently earned
his Professional Engineer (PE)
license in the state of California.
Bill Edgerton, PE, recently celebrated 25 years with Jacobs
Associates. For 12 of these years
he served as president, guiding the firm through a period of
Kroncke
Edgerton
significant geographical expansion and personnel growth,
while at the same time serving
as project or program manager
for several of Jacobs Associates’
signature projects, including the
Brightwater project in Seattle,
WA, and the DC Water CSO system in Washington, DC.
In January, Stephanie Fekete,
along with Mark Diederichs,
published “Integration of three
less than 3 miles (4.8 km) from the project site.
The design also requires contact grouting to fill
potential voids in the soil and ensure adequate
ground confinement around the adit structure.
Final design of the San Jacinto east entrance adit
repair is being completed in April 2013.
The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VAOT)
is rehabilitating and replacing metal culverts
installed during its original 1960s interstate
system construction. Historically, available
options were either rehabilitation through slip
lining or open-cut reconstruction. Rehabilitation typically resulted in loss of culvert hydraulic capacity, and open-cut reconstruction
required substantial traffic control and significantly impacted highway travel.
As part of the upgrade, the culverts in South
Burlington and Colchester in northern Vermont were recently rehabilitated. Both were
in an advanced state of deterioration and
within high earthen interstate embankments.
Teamed with McFarland-Johnson, Jacobs
Associates provided geotechnical site characterization, recommendations, and design for
trenchless construction methods. This project
was the recipient of a Federal Highway Administration “Highways for Life” grant, which
made it more affordable for VAOT.
The culverts are separated by a few miles
along Interstate 89. Environmental constraints
included adjacent streams and wetlands, and
embankments exceeded 30 feet (9.1 m) of cover
over the existing pipes. The original
Colchester culvert diameter was 108
inches (2,745 mm), and the South
Burlington culvert had a 72-inch
(1,830 mm) vertical ellipse. Each
culvert was approximately 300 feet
long (91 m).
Pipe ramming 60-inch culvert pipe adjacent
to existing slip-lined South Burlington culvert.
Fekete
Davidson
dimensional laser scanning with
discontinuum modelling for stability analysis of tunnels in blocky
rock masses” in the International
Journal of Rock Mechanics &
Mining Sciences, 57: 11–23.
Gregg Davidson was featured in
an interview in the April 2013 issue
of World Tunnelling magazine.
The Seattle office welcomed
Julian Franco, PMP, in March as a
Project Engineer. Julian received
his BS in Agriculture Business
and Management Engineering from the San Buenaventura
University of Cali, Colombia, and
holds a Project Manager Professional Certification (PMP) from
the Project Manager Institute. For
the last 8 years, Julian has provided project management support at Sound Transit in Seattle,
WA, including the Northgate Link
Extension Project.
transfers
Keith Johnson joined Jacobs
Associates in March as a Marketing Manager and is based in the
San Francisco office. He spent the
last 12 years with a major A/E company as a proposal manager and
lead graphic designer, serving a 19
state region in the Western United
States. Keith’s background also
includes print production, social
media, newsletters, and other marketing communications. He looks
forward to expanding his horizons
to include strategic marketing and
business development support.
Wayne Kilker, PE, recently joined
the Boston office as a Senior
Project Consultant. He has over
40 years of experience in the
geotechnical industry, and over
25 years on tunnel and shaft projects. Wayne previously worked
on the Baltimore Red Line Tunnel Extension Risk Assessment
project. He received an MS in
Geotechnical Engineering from
Arizona State University and a BS
degree from the University of Minnesota. He is assisting on the DC
Clean Rivers Project and Ottawa
Light Rail Transit Tunnel Project.
Thomas Pallua joined the Seattle
office in March as a Project
Geologist. Thomas has an MS
in Geology from the University
of Padova in Italy. He has more
than 10 years of geotechnical
consulting experience, including
7 years as owner and manager
of a geotechnical consulting firm
in Brunico, Italy. His experience
includes both privately and publicly owned projects, including
feasibility studies for hydropower
plants, geological and geotechnical work for civil construction,
and hydrogeological work.
The design required slip lining the
existing corrugated metal pipe culverts and installing new adjacent
parallel crossings using trenchless
methods. Contract documents
provided for use of a range of preselected trenchless methods and lining
options for the contractor, Morrill Construction,
to choose from that were considered appropriate based on project design requirements and
anticipated ground conditions. A contractor-led
value engineering proposal allowed for the
increase in hydraulic capacity of the existing
culverts by enlarging the slip-line pipe diameter
after removing a portion of the existing culvert
inverts to eliminate a pipe sag. This rendered
construction of the new Colchester parallel
culvert crossing unnecessary, resulting in significant cost savings. The new 60-inch-diameter
(1,525 mm) culvert in South Burlington was
installed by pipe ramming.
This VAOT project is a successful example of
the use of trenchless technology for construction on larger culverts with higher fills. It
demonstrates the feasibility of using contract
specifications for trenchless culvert installation
that provide options for installation method
and pipe material. VAOT will be able to apply
lessons learned from this project to future culvert rehabilitations.
Brad is a senior project engineer in Jacobs
Associates’ Boston office. He developed the
VAOT project’s geotechnical baseline report
and trenchless contract specifications.
San Francisco Office Volunteers at SF Food Bank
NEIS Phase 2A and CM Support Task
Orders are associated with the CLA BOE’s
Prequalified On-Call Wastewater and Environmental Engineering contract, which the
City of Los Angeles renewed for an additional
five years. Jacobs Associates assisted the
Bureau of Engineering with preliminary and
final design, construction management, and
engineering support during construction on
NEIS Phase 1, and recently completed the
50% design package review on NEIS 2A. We
schedule for repairing the tunnels and
restoring train service
for different levels of fault offset. A cost benefit
analysis will then be performed to determine
which alternative would provide the most
benefit to BART. The analysis will include an
evaluation of the overall economic impact on
the San Francisco Bay Area for the loss of train
service for the estimated duration of repair.
Staff Recognition
On February 12, Glenn Boyce,
PhD, PE, taught “Shaft Design
and Construction” at the
annual Colorado School of
Mines Pilot Tube Tunneling/
Microtunneling Short Course.
At the Northwest Hydroelectric Association’s Annual
Conference on February 20,
Mark Havekost, PE, gave a
presentation on “the designer’s perspective for remote
site projects” as part of the
“Northern Lights—Getting
Hydro Work Done in Remote
Locations” panel.
An excavated tunnel diameter of 22 feet (6.7 m)
was selected during the preliminary engineering
phase based on results from hydraulic analysis,
The San Jacinto Tunnel is part of the Colorado
River Aqueduct, which conveys water from the
Colorado River at Lake Havasu to Lake Mathews
with a system of pumping stations, canals,
tunnels, buried conduit, and siphons. The east
entrance adit of the San Jacinto Tunnel was
built in the 1930s to provide ingress and egress
for construction activities at the eastern end
of the tunnel. The 300-foot-long (91 m) adit
is a 16-foot-high by 16-foot-wide (4.9 x 4.9 m)
horseshoe-shaped tunnel with an unreinforced
concrete lining. It begins in alluvial soil at the
entrance and descends into bedrock after a
couple of hundred feet. Although the integrity
of the adit does not directly impact aqueduct
operation, the adit facilitates inspections and
maintenance of the main tunnel.
Four Southern California Project Wins
Retrofitting BART’s Berkeley Hills Tunnel
Jacobs Associates was recently awarded a feasibility study contract to evaluate various alternatives to retrofit the Bay Area Rapid Transit
(BART) Berkeley Hills Tunnel so that train
service can be reestablished quickly following
an earthquake event on the Hayward fault.
The 3.2-mile-long (5.1 km) twin tunnels pass
through the Berkeley Hills east of Berkeley and
Oakland and cross through the active Hayward
fault zone—estimated to extend over a 980
The design team consisted of Jacobs Associates
(project management, tunnel and structural design, construction scheduling, cost estimating),
HDR (hydraulics, water management, FERC
license preparation), Northwest Hydraulics
(hydraulic modeling), Herrera Environmental
(Bacon Creek Quarry restoration), Pacific
Geomatic Services (surveying), and Aspect
Consulting (geotechnical investigation).
cost/benefit analysis, and schedule estimates.
Although SCL put project construction temHowever, at the 75% design phase, the tunnel
porarily on hold, construction documents are
diameter was optimized to 23 feet (7 m) to further ready to go when approval is given to comimprove hydraulic performance and reduce water mence construction. Final design was develvelocities in the unlined tunnel sections. G2T will
oped through constant interaction between the
be approximately 10,475 feet long (3,193 m) and
design team and SCL, including site visits, risk
parallel the existing 20.5-foot-diameter (6.2 m)
management meetings, and the existing tunnel’s
concrete-lined power tunnel. Most of the excainspection in 2010.
vation will be with a main beam tunnel boring
machine; however, portions of the access tunnel
Phaidra Campbell is a project engineer for G2T
and power tunnel connections will be excavated
and currently works in the San Francisco office.
using drill-and-blast methods.
Rock along the alignment consists
of Skagit Gneiss, a mineralogically
banded, metamorphosed igneous rock of granitic composition.
Most of the rock is anticipated to
be strong and durable enough that
the tunnel can remain unlined
after construction. Other project
features include upstream and
downstream connections, a tunnel plug with steel bulkhead door,
a rock trap, temporary bulkhead
connections, rock scaling and
bolting at the tunnel portal, water
management during construction,
Gorge Dam and Intake Structure looking
and site restoration of Bacon Creek
downstream on the Skagit River.
Quarry using tunnel spoils.
In February, Bob Regazzini was
hired as a Senior Project Consultant in the Boston Office. Bob’s
focus is on developing detailed
construction cost estimates and
schedules, and providing design
support. He graduated from
Northeastern University with a
BS in Civil Engineering, and has
over 30 years of experience in
design and construction, including tunnels. Bob is currently
assisting with the DC Clean Rivers Project.
The Washington DC office welcomed Jenn Roberts as a Senior
Staff Engineer in March. Jenn
holds an MS from Imperial College London in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her project
experience includes the redesign
of London’s Paddington Station,
where she led the design team’s
CEEQUAL (LEED Certification
equivalent) certification process.
The station received the highest
possible rating.
David Trumble joined the Melbourne office as a Project Engineer in February. His experience
includes design and construction of above- and below-ground
structures, and hydropower and
transport infrastructure projects.
He received his BE with Honors
in Civil Engineering from Monash
University in Melbourne, Australia.
Steven Zhou, PE, joined the
Cleveland office in March as a
Senior Project Engineer. Steven
has worked on a diverse range of
underground projects, performing geotechnical and structural
design services. He has a PhD in
Geotechnical Engineering from
Ohio State University and MS
and BS degrees in Geotechnical
and Structural Engineering from
Tongji University in Shanghai,
China.
The River Supply Conduit Lower Reach Unit
1A (RSC-1A) is part of the Silver Lake Reservoir
Complex (SLRC) Replacement Project, on
which Jacobs Associates recently provided tunnel design services to the City of Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power (LADWP).
As a subconsultant to AMEC, we are now
providing design support and field monitoring
services during construction for the RSC-1A.
The 6,400-foot-long (1,951 m) pipeline section,
which includes a 2,890-foot-long (881 m)
tunnel beneath Griffith Park, is part of a series of
new water lines connecting a new hydroelectric
generating station to the Headworks Reservoir to
reserve storage capacity after the SLRC is removed
from the LADWP water distribution system. The
RSC 1A tunnel will be excavated through weathered
granitic rock and alluvial soils using an earth balance pressure tunnel boring machine (EPB TBM).
papers presented
Project Engineer Kush Chohan,
PE, transferred from the San
Francisco to the New York
office, where he is working
on the Rondout-West Branch
Bypass Tunnel project.
Jacobs Associates staff members publish papers in proceedings
for both national and international conferences, contributing to the
advancement of underground engineering.
In March, Senior Staff Engineer
Amy Arnold transferred from
Seattle to Auckland She is presently working on the Waterview
Connection for the New Zealand
Transport Authority.
Culvert Replacement under High
Interstate Embankments. Brad
Murray and Dan Dobbels (Jacobs
Associates); Darren Benoit (McFarland-Johnson, Inc.); Danny Landry
and Greg Wilcox (Vermont Agency
of Transportation); Jason Morrill and
Barry Ward (Morrill Construction Co.).
NO-DIG CONFERENCE
(March 3–7)
Dealing with Piles in the Path
of Your Trenchless Installation.
Glenn Boyce, Mark Havekost,
Norm Joyal (Jacobs Associates).
Geotechnical Exploration and Modeling for HDD Design in CobbleRich Fluvial Deposits below I-5/
Sacramento River near Redding
California. Dru Nielson (Jacobs
Associates); Matthew Wallin (Bennett Trenchless Engineers); Donald
J. Kirker (NORCAL Geophysical
Consultants); Mike Fisher (Water
Works Engineers); Ryan Bailey (City
of Redding).
An Innovative Trenchless Technology: Mutual Tugging Method.
Xianping Yao and Xiaoyan Hu
(Shanghai Tunnel Engineering &
Rail Transit Design and Research
Institute); Yiming Sun and Glenn
Boyce (Jacobs Associates).
King County Uses New Shaft Technology on the Ballard Siphon Project. Ade Franklin and Marty Noble
(King County Wastewater Treatment
Dvn.); Jeremy Johnson (Jacobs
Associates); Doug Genzlinger (Tetra
Tech); Kim Staheli (Staheli Trenchless Consultants); John Fowler
(James W. Fowler Co.).
Miami-Dade’s Water Main Government Cut Replacement Project.
Glenn Boyce (JA); Steve Mancini (Ric-Man Construction); Craig
Camp (Hatch Mott MacDonald);
Rick Zavitz (Mears Group); Orlando
Castro (Hazen & Sawyer); Eduardo
Vega (Miami-Dade County Water
& Sewer Dept.).
On February 27, San Francisco office employees volunteered at the San Francisco Food Bank.
Heather Gregg, Vinnie Hung, Charlene Janzen,
Roozbeh Mikola, Isabelle Pawlik, Mike Reesor,
Theresa Umadhay, Yiming Sun, and Markus Williams helped to package over 3,400 pounds of rice for distribution to pantries and families in
the community. With 25,000 volunteers each year, and 450 partner organizations throughout
the community, the Food Bank provides a spectrum of services designed to support the health
and well-being of those in our community who are struggling to make ends meet.
Portland Office Supports Water for People
Jacobs Associates’ Portland office supported the Northwest Oregon Sub-section of Water
for People, which had its 7th Annual Gala in Portland, OR, on
February 9, 2013. The proceeds from the gala go directly to
the nonprofit organization, which helps people in developing
countries improve quality of life through the improvement of
sustainable drinking water, sanitation facilities, and hygiene
education programs.
4
5
6
7
4
5
6
7
just answers by Stephanie Fekete
Project update by Phaidra Campbell
Project update by Karen Quinn, PE, and John Yao, PE, GE
Project update by Brad Murray, PE
Upgrading the Designer’s Digital Toolbox
Gorge 2nd Tunnel Final Design Services Completed
San Jacinto Tunnel: Adit Inspection and Repair
Vermont Trenchless Culvert Rehabilitation
Tunnel design engineers always seek better
tools to understand ground behavior. Continuum modeling has improved our prediction
of ground mass deformation and evaluation of
tunnel support requirements. For homogenous
materials that deform as a unit—soils, massive bedrock, highly jointed rock—we can use
PLAXIS, Phase2, or FLAC software. However,
in blocky materials, an excavation’s stability is
governed by movement along rock discontinuities. The state-of-practice for assessing such
stability relies on limit equilibrium software
like RocScience’s Unwedge. However, only
simple wedges can be modeled, and only one
wedge assessed at a time.
November 2012 marked completion of the Jacobs
Associates–led Final Design Services for the Gorge
2nd Tunnel (G2T) project. Services consisted of
design of a second power tunnel through rock
between the existing Gorge Dam and the Gorge
Powerhouse to increase the efficiency and powergenerating capacity of the powerhouse. Gorge Powerhouse is located on the Skagit River, in northern
Washington State, and is one of three generating
facilities operated by Seattle City Light (SCL) as
part of the Skagit Hydroelectric Project. The second
power tunnel will reduce head loss between the
dam and powerhouse, raise head pressure at the
turbines, increase torque on the generators, and
produce more power for any given flow.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) performed inspections of
San Jacinto Tunnel’s east entrance adit in 2002
and 2003. These inspections revealed numerous cracks and areas of distress in the concrete
lining for a segment of the adit. Since that time,
Metropolitan has closely monitored the adit for
damage and has performed annual inspections
to ensure that it is safe for access. In 2009, Metropolitan commissioned a tunnel repair study by
Jacobs Associates to evaluate the adit structure
condition and feasible repair alternatives. Subsequently, Metropolitan hired Jacobs Associates
to provide engineering services for adit repair,
which includes structural design, preparation
of contract documents, and preparation of construction cost and schedule estimates.
Discontinuum modeling, using software such as
Itasca’s 3DEC and UDEC, allows creation of a rock
mass model (in 2D or 3D) based on the designer’s
understanding of the rock mass structure. The
designer can: (1) create a block of rock with specific properties; (2) divide it into smaller elements
by following the natural discontinuities or joint
sets and assign them specific properties (strength,
stiffness, etc.); (3) apply boundary conditions (in
situ stresses and gravity); and (4) virtually “excavate” the tunnel, allowing the rock blocks to move
and interact as discrete bodies over “time.”
This type of modeling is a powerful tool for
confirming rock support requirements, in-
cluding rock bolts (spacing, length,
loads) and structural liners (loads).
However, for the rock mass model to
be sufficiently representative, a realistic database of rock mass structural
features must be generated to provide
reasonable understanding of the rock
discontinuities present.
CROWN
Conventionally, discontinuity data are
obtained from borehole logging and
field mapping of surface outcrops or
underground excavations. Because
FACE
of recent advances, laser scanning
technology (LiDAR) can be a key tool
for rapid and detailed documentation
of a given rock mass. The scanner can
TUNNEL
produce a 3D point cloud model with
ADVANCE
millions of points in geometric space
DIRECTION
at an outcrop or tunnel excavation
face in as little as 5 minutes. The rapid
3D LiDAR scan of tunnel heading: Joint surfaces identified
scanning of the tunnel heading reduces
and shown as circular planes intersecting model.
geotechnical mapping interference with
construction activities. The resulting disconpersistence can have a dramatic effect on the
tinuity database provides the foundation for a
results, so the model must always be calibrated
highly representative 3D rock mass model.
with observed rock mass behavior.
Despite these advances in data collection, a
geotechnical engineer’s critical eye is still necessary to construct a representative rock mass
model. Parameters such as joint strength and
Stephanie is a senior staff engineer in the
Vancouver office, and recently coauthored a
journal paper on 3D scanning and discon­
tinuum modeling (see “Muck Bucket” below).
foot length (299 m), approximately 1,000 feet
(300 m) from the west portal.
The study will compare the cost benefits of different approaches for retrofitting the tunnels,
including the “do nothing” alternative. It will
also include development of design concepts,
cost estimates, and schedules for implementing
the concepts for retrofit. In addition, for each
approach, the study will evaluate cost and
The 2009 subsurface investigation included
John is the project manager for the San Jacinto
two exploration borings and seismic refraction
Tunnel adit repair design. Karen is the project
surveys to verify the location of the soil-to-rock
engineer. Both work out of Jacobs Associates’
interface. The structural repair will extend from Pasadena office.
the adit entrance to a
short distance beyond the
interface for a total length
of 230 feet (70 m). The
recommended repair solution calls for shotcrete-encased steel sets, typically
spaced every 3.0 to 3.5
feet (0.9–1.1 m). The new
structural support system
will replace the existing lining’s function as
ground support, and has
been designed to survive
the Maximum Considered
Earthquake produced
Road leading to the San Jacinto
by a segment of the San
East Entrance Adit.
Andreas fault, located
also are assisting the City on 60% and 90%
technical specifications for this new 3.8-milelong-sewer (6.1 km) tunnel. The $5 million
CM Support Task Order will allow Jacobs Associates to continue providing support to the
CLA BOE’s Wastewater Conveyance Division
on construction management, scheduling,
claims consulting, cost estimating, constructability review, and document control services
for various projects.
Jacobs Associates is
assisting AMEC with
engineering services on the Wilshire
Grand Hotel Tower
redevelopment
project. The existing
15-story hotel is being redeveloped into
a 70-story, $1 billion hotel and office
complex. The new facility will have 900 hotel
rooms, 20 floors of office space, retail outfits,
and restaurants. Korean Airlines is the project
developer. The Tower will include a deep basement. Jacobs Associates will evaluate the impact of the basement excavation and building
structure on adjacent Metro Red Line subway
tunnels under 7th Street, develop a geotechnical instrumentation monitoring program, and
assist AMEC with the tunnel monitoring program during construction.
New Hires
Boyce
Havekost
Caruso
Congratulations go to Christopher Caruso, who recently
earned his PE license in the state
of Massachusetts, and Mark
Kroncke, who recently earned
his Professional Engineer (PE)
license in the state of California.
Bill Edgerton, PE, recently celebrated 25 years with Jacobs
Associates. For 12 of these years
he served as president, guiding the firm through a period of
Kroncke
Edgerton
significant geographical expansion and personnel growth,
while at the same time serving
as project or program manager
for several of Jacobs Associates’
signature projects, including the
Brightwater project in Seattle,
WA, and the DC Water CSO system in Washington, DC.
In January, Stephanie Fekete,
along with Mark Diederichs,
published “Integration of three
less than 3 miles (4.8 km) from the project site.
The design also requires contact grouting to fill
potential voids in the soil and ensure adequate
ground confinement around the adit structure.
Final design of the San Jacinto east entrance adit
repair is being completed in April 2013.
The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VAOT)
is rehabilitating and replacing metal culverts
installed during its original 1960s interstate
system construction. Historically, available
options were either rehabilitation through slip
lining or open-cut reconstruction. Rehabilitation typically resulted in loss of culvert hydraulic capacity, and open-cut reconstruction
required substantial traffic control and significantly impacted highway travel.
As part of the upgrade, the culverts in South
Burlington and Colchester in northern Vermont were recently rehabilitated. Both were
in an advanced state of deterioration and
within high earthen interstate embankments.
Teamed with McFarland-Johnson, Jacobs
Associates provided geotechnical site characterization, recommendations, and design for
trenchless construction methods. This project
was the recipient of a Federal Highway Administration “Highways for Life” grant, which
made it more affordable for VAOT.
The culverts are separated by a few miles
along Interstate 89. Environmental constraints
included adjacent streams and wetlands, and
embankments exceeded 30 feet (9.1 m) of cover
over the existing pipes. The original
Colchester culvert diameter was 108
inches (2,745 mm), and the South
Burlington culvert had a 72-inch
(1,830 mm) vertical ellipse. Each
culvert was approximately 300 feet
long (91 m).
Pipe ramming 60-inch culvert pipe adjacent
to existing slip-lined South Burlington culvert.
Fekete
Davidson
dimensional laser scanning with
discontinuum modelling for stability analysis of tunnels in blocky
rock masses” in the International
Journal of Rock Mechanics &
Mining Sciences, 57: 11–23.
Gregg Davidson was featured in
an interview in the April 2013 issue
of World Tunnelling magazine.
The Seattle office welcomed
Julian Franco, PMP, in March as a
Project Engineer. Julian received
his BS in Agriculture Business
and Management Engineering from the San Buenaventura
University of Cali, Colombia, and
holds a Project Manager Professional Certification (PMP) from
the Project Manager Institute. For
the last 8 years, Julian has provided project management support at Sound Transit in Seattle,
WA, including the Northgate Link
Extension Project.
transfers
Keith Johnson joined Jacobs
Associates in March as a Marketing Manager and is based in the
San Francisco office. He spent the
last 12 years with a major A/E company as a proposal manager and
lead graphic designer, serving a 19
state region in the Western United
States. Keith’s background also
includes print production, social
media, newsletters, and other marketing communications. He looks
forward to expanding his horizons
to include strategic marketing and
business development support.
Wayne Kilker, PE, recently joined
the Boston office as a Senior
Project Consultant. He has over
40 years of experience in the
geotechnical industry, and over
25 years on tunnel and shaft projects. Wayne previously worked
on the Baltimore Red Line Tunnel Extension Risk Assessment
project. He received an MS in
Geotechnical Engineering from
Arizona State University and a BS
degree from the University of Minnesota. He is assisting on the DC
Clean Rivers Project and Ottawa
Light Rail Transit Tunnel Project.
Thomas Pallua joined the Seattle
office in March as a Project
Geologist. Thomas has an MS
in Geology from the University
of Padova in Italy. He has more
than 10 years of geotechnical
consulting experience, including
7 years as owner and manager
of a geotechnical consulting firm
in Brunico, Italy. His experience
includes both privately and publicly owned projects, including
feasibility studies for hydropower
plants, geological and geotechnical work for civil construction,
and hydrogeological work.
The design required slip lining the
existing corrugated metal pipe culverts and installing new adjacent
parallel crossings using trenchless
methods. Contract documents
provided for use of a range of preselected trenchless methods and lining
options for the contractor, Morrill Construction,
to choose from that were considered appropriate based on project design requirements and
anticipated ground conditions. A contractor-led
value engineering proposal allowed for the
increase in hydraulic capacity of the existing
culverts by enlarging the slip-line pipe diameter
after removing a portion of the existing culvert
inverts to eliminate a pipe sag. This rendered
construction of the new Colchester parallel
culvert crossing unnecessary, resulting in significant cost savings. The new 60-inch-diameter
(1,525 mm) culvert in South Burlington was
installed by pipe ramming.
This VAOT project is a successful example of
the use of trenchless technology for construction on larger culverts with higher fills. It
demonstrates the feasibility of using contract
specifications for trenchless culvert installation
that provide options for installation method
and pipe material. VAOT will be able to apply
lessons learned from this project to future culvert rehabilitations.
Brad is a senior project engineer in Jacobs
Associates’ Boston office. He developed the
VAOT project’s geotechnical baseline report
and trenchless contract specifications.
San Francisco Office Volunteers at SF Food Bank
NEIS Phase 2A and CM Support Task
Orders are associated with the CLA BOE’s
Prequalified On-Call Wastewater and Environmental Engineering contract, which the
City of Los Angeles renewed for an additional
five years. Jacobs Associates assisted the
Bureau of Engineering with preliminary and
final design, construction management, and
engineering support during construction on
NEIS Phase 1, and recently completed the
50% design package review on NEIS 2A. We
schedule for repairing the tunnels and
restoring train service
for different levels of fault offset. A cost benefit
analysis will then be performed to determine
which alternative would provide the most
benefit to BART. The analysis will include an
evaluation of the overall economic impact on
the San Francisco Bay Area for the loss of train
service for the estimated duration of repair.
Staff Recognition
On February 12, Glenn Boyce,
PhD, PE, taught “Shaft Design
and Construction” at the
annual Colorado School of
Mines Pilot Tube Tunneling/
Microtunneling Short Course.
At the Northwest Hydroelectric Association’s Annual
Conference on February 20,
Mark Havekost, PE, gave a
presentation on “the designer’s perspective for remote
site projects” as part of the
“Northern Lights—Getting
Hydro Work Done in Remote
Locations” panel.
An excavated tunnel diameter of 22 feet (6.7 m)
was selected during the preliminary engineering
phase based on results from hydraulic analysis,
The San Jacinto Tunnel is part of the Colorado
River Aqueduct, which conveys water from the
Colorado River at Lake Havasu to Lake Mathews
with a system of pumping stations, canals,
tunnels, buried conduit, and siphons. The east
entrance adit of the San Jacinto Tunnel was
built in the 1930s to provide ingress and egress
for construction activities at the eastern end
of the tunnel. The 300-foot-long (91 m) adit
is a 16-foot-high by 16-foot-wide (4.9 x 4.9 m)
horseshoe-shaped tunnel with an unreinforced
concrete lining. It begins in alluvial soil at the
entrance and descends into bedrock after a
couple of hundred feet. Although the integrity
of the adit does not directly impact aqueduct
operation, the adit facilitates inspections and
maintenance of the main tunnel.
Four Southern California Project Wins
Retrofitting BART’s Berkeley Hills Tunnel
Jacobs Associates was recently awarded a feasibility study contract to evaluate various alternatives to retrofit the Bay Area Rapid Transit
(BART) Berkeley Hills Tunnel so that train
service can be reestablished quickly following
an earthquake event on the Hayward fault.
The 3.2-mile-long (5.1 km) twin tunnels pass
through the Berkeley Hills east of Berkeley and
Oakland and cross through the active Hayward
fault zone—estimated to extend over a 980
The design team consisted of Jacobs Associates
(project management, tunnel and structural design, construction scheduling, cost estimating),
HDR (hydraulics, water management, FERC
license preparation), Northwest Hydraulics
(hydraulic modeling), Herrera Environmental
(Bacon Creek Quarry restoration), Pacific
Geomatic Services (surveying), and Aspect
Consulting (geotechnical investigation).
cost/benefit analysis, and schedule estimates.
Although SCL put project construction temHowever, at the 75% design phase, the tunnel
porarily on hold, construction documents are
diameter was optimized to 23 feet (7 m) to further ready to go when approval is given to comimprove hydraulic performance and reduce water mence construction. Final design was develvelocities in the unlined tunnel sections. G2T will
oped through constant interaction between the
be approximately 10,475 feet long (3,193 m) and
design team and SCL, including site visits, risk
parallel the existing 20.5-foot-diameter (6.2 m)
management meetings, and the existing tunnel’s
concrete-lined power tunnel. Most of the excainspection in 2010.
vation will be with a main beam tunnel boring
machine; however, portions of the access tunnel
Phaidra Campbell is a project engineer for G2T
and power tunnel connections will be excavated
and currently works in the San Francisco office.
using drill-and-blast methods.
Rock along the alignment consists
of Skagit Gneiss, a mineralogically
banded, metamorphosed igneous rock of granitic composition.
Most of the rock is anticipated to
be strong and durable enough that
the tunnel can remain unlined
after construction. Other project
features include upstream and
downstream connections, a tunnel plug with steel bulkhead door,
a rock trap, temporary bulkhead
connections, rock scaling and
bolting at the tunnel portal, water
management during construction,
Gorge Dam and Intake Structure looking
and site restoration of Bacon Creek
downstream on the Skagit River.
Quarry using tunnel spoils.
In February, Bob Regazzini was
hired as a Senior Project Consultant in the Boston Office. Bob’s
focus is on developing detailed
construction cost estimates and
schedules, and providing design
support. He graduated from
Northeastern University with a
BS in Civil Engineering, and has
over 30 years of experience in
design and construction, including tunnels. Bob is currently
assisting with the DC Clean Rivers Project.
The Washington DC office welcomed Jenn Roberts as a Senior
Staff Engineer in March. Jenn
holds an MS from Imperial College London in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her project
experience includes the redesign
of London’s Paddington Station,
where she led the design team’s
CEEQUAL (LEED Certification
equivalent) certification process.
The station received the highest
possible rating.
David Trumble joined the Melbourne office as a Project Engineer in February. His experience
includes design and construction of above- and below-ground
structures, and hydropower and
transport infrastructure projects.
He received his BE with Honors
in Civil Engineering from Monash
University in Melbourne, Australia.
Steven Zhou, PE, joined the
Cleveland office in March as a
Senior Project Engineer. Steven
has worked on a diverse range of
underground projects, performing geotechnical and structural
design services. He has a PhD in
Geotechnical Engineering from
Ohio State University and MS
and BS degrees in Geotechnical
and Structural Engineering from
Tongji University in Shanghai,
China.
The River Supply Conduit Lower Reach Unit
1A (RSC-1A) is part of the Silver Lake Reservoir
Complex (SLRC) Replacement Project, on
which Jacobs Associates recently provided tunnel design services to the City of Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power (LADWP).
As a subconsultant to AMEC, we are now
providing design support and field monitoring
services during construction for the RSC-1A.
The 6,400-foot-long (1,951 m) pipeline section,
which includes a 2,890-foot-long (881 m)
tunnel beneath Griffith Park, is part of a series of
new water lines connecting a new hydroelectric
generating station to the Headworks Reservoir to
reserve storage capacity after the SLRC is removed
from the LADWP water distribution system. The
RSC 1A tunnel will be excavated through weathered
granitic rock and alluvial soils using an earth balance pressure tunnel boring machine (EPB TBM).
papers presented
Project Engineer Kush Chohan,
PE, transferred from the San
Francisco to the New York
office, where he is working
on the Rondout-West Branch
Bypass Tunnel project.
Jacobs Associates staff members publish papers in proceedings
for both national and international conferences, contributing to the
advancement of underground engineering.
In March, Senior Staff Engineer
Amy Arnold transferred from
Seattle to Auckland She is presently working on the Waterview
Connection for the New Zealand
Transport Authority.
Culvert Replacement under High
Interstate Embankments. Brad
Murray and Dan Dobbels (Jacobs
Associates); Darren Benoit (McFarland-Johnson, Inc.); Danny Landry
and Greg Wilcox (Vermont Agency
of Transportation); Jason Morrill and
Barry Ward (Morrill Construction Co.).
NO-DIG CONFERENCE
(March 3–7)
Dealing with Piles in the Path
of Your Trenchless Installation.
Glenn Boyce, Mark Havekost,
Norm Joyal (Jacobs Associates).
Geotechnical Exploration and Modeling for HDD Design in CobbleRich Fluvial Deposits below I-5/
Sacramento River near Redding
California. Dru Nielson (Jacobs
Associates); Matthew Wallin (Bennett Trenchless Engineers); Donald
J. Kirker (NORCAL Geophysical
Consultants); Mike Fisher (Water
Works Engineers); Ryan Bailey (City
of Redding).
An Innovative Trenchless Technology: Mutual Tugging Method.
Xianping Yao and Xiaoyan Hu
(Shanghai Tunnel Engineering &
Rail Transit Design and Research
Institute); Yiming Sun and Glenn
Boyce (Jacobs Associates).
King County Uses New Shaft Technology on the Ballard Siphon Project. Ade Franklin and Marty Noble
(King County Wastewater Treatment
Dvn.); Jeremy Johnson (Jacobs
Associates); Doug Genzlinger (Tetra
Tech); Kim Staheli (Staheli Trenchless Consultants); John Fowler
(James W. Fowler Co.).
Miami-Dade’s Water Main Government Cut Replacement Project.
Glenn Boyce (JA); Steve Mancini (Ric-Man Construction); Craig
Camp (Hatch Mott MacDonald);
Rick Zavitz (Mears Group); Orlando
Castro (Hazen & Sawyer); Eduardo
Vega (Miami-Dade County Water
& Sewer Dept.).
On February 27, San Francisco office employees volunteered at the San Francisco Food Bank.
Heather Gregg, Vinnie Hung, Charlene Janzen,
Roozbeh Mikola, Isabelle Pawlik, Mike Reesor,
Theresa Umadhay, Yiming Sun, and Markus Williams helped to package over 3,400 pounds of rice for distribution to pantries and families in
the community. With 25,000 volunteers each year, and 450 partner organizations throughout
the community, the Food Bank provides a spectrum of services designed to support the health
and well-being of those in our community who are struggling to make ends meet.
Portland Office Supports Water for People
Jacobs Associates’ Portland office supported the Northwest Oregon Sub-section of Water
for People, which had its 7th Annual Gala in Portland, OR, on
February 9, 2013. The proceeds from the gala go directly to
the nonprofit organization, which helps people in developing
countries improve quality of life through the improvement of
sustainable drinking water, sanitation facilities, and hygiene
education programs.
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just answers by Stephanie Fekete
Project update by Phaidra Campbell
Project update by Karen Quinn, PE, and John Yao, PE, GE
Project update by Brad Murray, PE
Upgrading the Designer’s Digital Toolbox
Gorge 2nd Tunnel Final Design Services Completed
San Jacinto Tunnel: Adit Inspection and Repair
Vermont Trenchless Culvert Rehabilitation
Tunnel design engineers always seek better
tools to understand ground behavior. Continuum modeling has improved our prediction
of ground mass deformation and evaluation of
tunnel support requirements. For homogenous
materials that deform as a unit—soils, massive bedrock, highly jointed rock—we can use
PLAXIS, Phase2, or FLAC software. However,
in blocky materials, an excavation’s stability is
governed by movement along rock discontinuities. The state-of-practice for assessing such
stability relies on limit equilibrium software
like RocScience’s Unwedge. However, only
simple wedges can be modeled, and only one
wedge assessed at a time.
November 2012 marked completion of the Jacobs
Associates–led Final Design Services for the Gorge
2nd Tunnel (G2T) project. Services consisted of
design of a second power tunnel through rock
between the existing Gorge Dam and the Gorge
Powerhouse to increase the efficiency and powergenerating capacity of the powerhouse. Gorge Powerhouse is located on the Skagit River, in northern
Washington State, and is one of three generating
facilities operated by Seattle City Light (SCL) as
part of the Skagit Hydroelectric Project. The second
power tunnel will reduce head loss between the
dam and powerhouse, raise head pressure at the
turbines, increase torque on the generators, and
produce more power for any given flow.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) performed inspections of
San Jacinto Tunnel’s east entrance adit in 2002
and 2003. These inspections revealed numerous cracks and areas of distress in the concrete
lining for a segment of the adit. Since that time,
Metropolitan has closely monitored the adit for
damage and has performed annual inspections
to ensure that it is safe for access. In 2009, Metropolitan commissioned a tunnel repair study by
Jacobs Associates to evaluate the adit structure
condition and feasible repair alternatives. Subsequently, Metropolitan hired Jacobs Associates
to provide engineering services for adit repair,
which includes structural design, preparation
of contract documents, and preparation of construction cost and schedule estimates.
Discontinuum modeling, using software such as
Itasca’s 3DEC and UDEC, allows creation of a rock
mass model (in 2D or 3D) based on the designer’s
understanding of the rock mass structure. The
designer can: (1) create a block of rock with specific properties; (2) divide it into smaller elements
by following the natural discontinuities or joint
sets and assign them specific properties (strength,
stiffness, etc.); (3) apply boundary conditions (in
situ stresses and gravity); and (4) virtually “excavate” the tunnel, allowing the rock blocks to move
and interact as discrete bodies over “time.”
This type of modeling is a powerful tool for
confirming rock support requirements, in-
cluding rock bolts (spacing, length,
loads) and structural liners (loads).
However, for the rock mass model to
be sufficiently representative, a realistic database of rock mass structural
features must be generated to provide
reasonable understanding of the rock
discontinuities present.
CROWN
Conventionally, discontinuity data are
obtained from borehole logging and
field mapping of surface outcrops or
underground excavations. Because
FACE
of recent advances, laser scanning
technology (LiDAR) can be a key tool
for rapid and detailed documentation
of a given rock mass. The scanner can
TUNNEL
produce a 3D point cloud model with
ADVANCE
millions of points in geometric space
DIRECTION
at an outcrop or tunnel excavation
face in as little as 5 minutes. The rapid
3D LiDAR scan of tunnel heading: Joint surfaces identified
scanning of the tunnel heading reduces
and shown as circular planes intersecting model.
geotechnical mapping interference with
construction activities. The resulting disconpersistence can have a dramatic effect on the
tinuity database provides the foundation for a
results, so the model must always be calibrated
highly representative 3D rock mass model.
with observed rock mass behavior.
Despite these advances in data collection, a
geotechnical engineer’s critical eye is still necessary to construct a representative rock mass
model. Parameters such as joint strength and
Stephanie is a senior staff engineer in the
Vancouver office, and recently coauthored a
journal paper on 3D scanning and discon­
tinuum modeling (see “Muck Bucket” below).
foot length (299 m), approximately 1,000 feet
(300 m) from the west portal.
The study will compare the cost benefits of different approaches for retrofitting the tunnels,
including the “do nothing” alternative. It will
also include development of design concepts,
cost estimates, and schedules for implementing
the concepts for retrofit. In addition, for each
approach, the study will evaluate cost and
The 2009 subsurface investigation included
John is the project manager for the San Jacinto
two exploration borings and seismic refraction
Tunnel adit repair design. Karen is the project
surveys to verify the location of the soil-to-rock
engineer. Both work out of Jacobs Associates’
interface. The structural repair will extend from Pasadena office.
the adit entrance to a
short distance beyond the
interface for a total length
of 230 feet (70 m). The
recommended repair solution calls for shotcrete-encased steel sets, typically
spaced every 3.0 to 3.5
feet (0.9–1.1 m). The new
structural support system
will replace the existing lining’s function as
ground support, and has
been designed to survive
the Maximum Considered
Earthquake produced
Road leading to the San Jacinto
by a segment of the San
East Entrance Adit.
Andreas fault, located
also are assisting the City on 60% and 90%
technical specifications for this new 3.8-milelong-sewer (6.1 km) tunnel. The $5 million
CM Support Task Order will allow Jacobs Associates to continue providing support to the
CLA BOE’s Wastewater Conveyance Division
on construction management, scheduling,
claims consulting, cost estimating, constructability review, and document control services
for various projects.
Jacobs Associates is
assisting AMEC with
engineering services on the Wilshire
Grand Hotel Tower
redevelopment
project. The existing
15-story hotel is being redeveloped into
a 70-story, $1 billion hotel and office
complex. The new facility will have 900 hotel
rooms, 20 floors of office space, retail outfits,
and restaurants. Korean Airlines is the project
developer. The Tower will include a deep basement. Jacobs Associates will evaluate the impact of the basement excavation and building
structure on adjacent Metro Red Line subway
tunnels under 7th Street, develop a geotechnical instrumentation monitoring program, and
assist AMEC with the tunnel monitoring program during construction.
New Hires
Boyce
Havekost
Caruso
Congratulations go to Christopher Caruso, who recently
earned his PE license in the state
of Massachusetts, and Mark
Kroncke, who recently earned
his Professional Engineer (PE)
license in the state of California.
Bill Edgerton, PE, recently celebrated 25 years with Jacobs
Associates. For 12 of these years
he served as president, guiding the firm through a period of
Kroncke
Edgerton
significant geographical expansion and personnel growth,
while at the same time serving
as project or program manager
for several of Jacobs Associates’
signature projects, including the
Brightwater project in Seattle,
WA, and the DC Water CSO system in Washington, DC.
In January, Stephanie Fekete,
along with Mark Diederichs,
published “Integration of three
less than 3 miles (4.8 km) from the project site.
The design also requires contact grouting to fill
potential voids in the soil and ensure adequate
ground confinement around the adit structure.
Final design of the San Jacinto east entrance adit
repair is being completed in April 2013.
The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VAOT)
is rehabilitating and replacing metal culverts
installed during its original 1960s interstate
system construction. Historically, available
options were either rehabilitation through slip
lining or open-cut reconstruction. Rehabilitation typically resulted in loss of culvert hydraulic capacity, and open-cut reconstruction
required substantial traffic control and significantly impacted highway travel.
As part of the upgrade, the culverts in South
Burlington and Colchester in northern Vermont were recently rehabilitated. Both were
in an advanced state of deterioration and
within high earthen interstate embankments.
Teamed with McFarland-Johnson, Jacobs
Associates provided geotechnical site characterization, recommendations, and design for
trenchless construction methods. This project
was the recipient of a Federal Highway Administration “Highways for Life” grant, which
made it more affordable for VAOT.
The culverts are separated by a few miles
along Interstate 89. Environmental constraints
included adjacent streams and wetlands, and
embankments exceeded 30 feet (9.1 m) of cover
over the existing pipes. The original
Colchester culvert diameter was 108
inches (2,745 mm), and the South
Burlington culvert had a 72-inch
(1,830 mm) vertical ellipse. Each
culvert was approximately 300 feet
long (91 m).
Pipe ramming 60-inch culvert pipe adjacent
to existing slip-lined South Burlington culvert.
Fekete
Davidson
dimensional laser scanning with
discontinuum modelling for stability analysis of tunnels in blocky
rock masses” in the International
Journal of Rock Mechanics &
Mining Sciences, 57: 11–23.
Gregg Davidson was featured in
an interview in the April 2013 issue
of World Tunnelling magazine.
The Seattle office welcomed
Julian Franco, PMP, in March as a
Project Engineer. Julian received
his BS in Agriculture Business
and Management Engineering from the San Buenaventura
University of Cali, Colombia, and
holds a Project Manager Professional Certification (PMP) from
the Project Manager Institute. For
the last 8 years, Julian has provided project management support at Sound Transit in Seattle,
WA, including the Northgate Link
Extension Project.
transfers
Keith Johnson joined Jacobs
Associates in March as a Marketing Manager and is based in the
San Francisco office. He spent the
last 12 years with a major A/E company as a proposal manager and
lead graphic designer, serving a 19
state region in the Western United
States. Keith’s background also
includes print production, social
media, newsletters, and other marketing communications. He looks
forward to expanding his horizons
to include strategic marketing and
business development support.
Wayne Kilker, PE, recently joined
the Boston office as a Senior
Project Consultant. He has over
40 years of experience in the
geotechnical industry, and over
25 years on tunnel and shaft projects. Wayne previously worked
on the Baltimore Red Line Tunnel Extension Risk Assessment
project. He received an MS in
Geotechnical Engineering from
Arizona State University and a BS
degree from the University of Minnesota. He is assisting on the DC
Clean Rivers Project and Ottawa
Light Rail Transit Tunnel Project.
Thomas Pallua joined the Seattle
office in March as a Project
Geologist. Thomas has an MS
in Geology from the University
of Padova in Italy. He has more
than 10 years of geotechnical
consulting experience, including
7 years as owner and manager
of a geotechnical consulting firm
in Brunico, Italy. His experience
includes both privately and publicly owned projects, including
feasibility studies for hydropower
plants, geological and geotechnical work for civil construction,
and hydrogeological work.
The design required slip lining the
existing corrugated metal pipe culverts and installing new adjacent
parallel crossings using trenchless
methods. Contract documents
provided for use of a range of preselected trenchless methods and lining
options for the contractor, Morrill Construction,
to choose from that were considered appropriate based on project design requirements and
anticipated ground conditions. A contractor-led
value engineering proposal allowed for the
increase in hydraulic capacity of the existing
culverts by enlarging the slip-line pipe diameter
after removing a portion of the existing culvert
inverts to eliminate a pipe sag. This rendered
construction of the new Colchester parallel
culvert crossing unnecessary, resulting in significant cost savings. The new 60-inch-diameter
(1,525 mm) culvert in South Burlington was
installed by pipe ramming.
This VAOT project is a successful example of
the use of trenchless technology for construction on larger culverts with higher fills. It
demonstrates the feasibility of using contract
specifications for trenchless culvert installation
that provide options for installation method
and pipe material. VAOT will be able to apply
lessons learned from this project to future culvert rehabilitations.
Brad is a senior project engineer in Jacobs
Associates’ Boston office. He developed the
VAOT project’s geotechnical baseline report
and trenchless contract specifications.
San Francisco Office Volunteers at SF Food Bank
NEIS Phase 2A and CM Support Task
Orders are associated with the CLA BOE’s
Prequalified On-Call Wastewater and Environmental Engineering contract, which the
City of Los Angeles renewed for an additional
five years. Jacobs Associates assisted the
Bureau of Engineering with preliminary and
final design, construction management, and
engineering support during construction on
NEIS Phase 1, and recently completed the
50% design package review on NEIS 2A. We
schedule for repairing the tunnels and
restoring train service
for different levels of fault offset. A cost benefit
analysis will then be performed to determine
which alternative would provide the most
benefit to BART. The analysis will include an
evaluation of the overall economic impact on
the San Francisco Bay Area for the loss of train
service for the estimated duration of repair.
Staff Recognition
On February 12, Glenn Boyce,
PhD, PE, taught “Shaft Design
and Construction” at the
annual Colorado School of
Mines Pilot Tube Tunneling/
Microtunneling Short Course.
At the Northwest Hydroelectric Association’s Annual
Conference on February 20,
Mark Havekost, PE, gave a
presentation on “the designer’s perspective for remote
site projects” as part of the
“Northern Lights—Getting
Hydro Work Done in Remote
Locations” panel.
An excavated tunnel diameter of 22 feet (6.7 m)
was selected during the preliminary engineering
phase based on results from hydraulic analysis,
The San Jacinto Tunnel is part of the Colorado
River Aqueduct, which conveys water from the
Colorado River at Lake Havasu to Lake Mathews
with a system of pumping stations, canals,
tunnels, buried conduit, and siphons. The east
entrance adit of the San Jacinto Tunnel was
built in the 1930s to provide ingress and egress
for construction activities at the eastern end
of the tunnel. The 300-foot-long (91 m) adit
is a 16-foot-high by 16-foot-wide (4.9 x 4.9 m)
horseshoe-shaped tunnel with an unreinforced
concrete lining. It begins in alluvial soil at the
entrance and descends into bedrock after a
couple of hundred feet. Although the integrity
of the adit does not directly impact aqueduct
operation, the adit facilitates inspections and
maintenance of the main tunnel.
Four Southern California Project Wins
Retrofitting BART’s Berkeley Hills Tunnel
Jacobs Associates was recently awarded a feasibility study contract to evaluate various alternatives to retrofit the Bay Area Rapid Transit
(BART) Berkeley Hills Tunnel so that train
service can be reestablished quickly following
an earthquake event on the Hayward fault.
The 3.2-mile-long (5.1 km) twin tunnels pass
through the Berkeley Hills east of Berkeley and
Oakland and cross through the active Hayward
fault zone—estimated to extend over a 980
The design team consisted of Jacobs Associates
(project management, tunnel and structural design, construction scheduling, cost estimating),
HDR (hydraulics, water management, FERC
license preparation), Northwest Hydraulics
(hydraulic modeling), Herrera Environmental
(Bacon Creek Quarry restoration), Pacific
Geomatic Services (surveying), and Aspect
Consulting (geotechnical investigation).
cost/benefit analysis, and schedule estimates.
Although SCL put project construction temHowever, at the 75% design phase, the tunnel
porarily on hold, construction documents are
diameter was optimized to 23 feet (7 m) to further ready to go when approval is given to comimprove hydraulic performance and reduce water mence construction. Final design was develvelocities in the unlined tunnel sections. G2T will
oped through constant interaction between the
be approximately 10,475 feet long (3,193 m) and
design team and SCL, including site visits, risk
parallel the existing 20.5-foot-diameter (6.2 m)
management meetings, and the existing tunnel’s
concrete-lined power tunnel. Most of the excainspection in 2010.
vation will be with a main beam tunnel boring
machine; however, portions of the access tunnel
Phaidra Campbell is a project engineer for G2T
and power tunnel connections will be excavated
and currently works in the San Francisco office.
using drill-and-blast methods.
Rock along the alignment consists
of Skagit Gneiss, a mineralogically
banded, metamorphosed igneous rock of granitic composition.
Most of the rock is anticipated to
be strong and durable enough that
the tunnel can remain unlined
after construction. Other project
features include upstream and
downstream connections, a tunnel plug with steel bulkhead door,
a rock trap, temporary bulkhead
connections, rock scaling and
bolting at the tunnel portal, water
management during construction,
Gorge Dam and Intake Structure looking
and site restoration of Bacon Creek
downstream on the Skagit River.
Quarry using tunnel spoils.
In February, Bob Regazzini was
hired as a Senior Project Consultant in the Boston Office. Bob’s
focus is on developing detailed
construction cost estimates and
schedules, and providing design
support. He graduated from
Northeastern University with a
BS in Civil Engineering, and has
over 30 years of experience in
design and construction, including tunnels. Bob is currently
assisting with the DC Clean Rivers Project.
The Washington DC office welcomed Jenn Roberts as a Senior
Staff Engineer in March. Jenn
holds an MS from Imperial College London in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her project
experience includes the redesign
of London’s Paddington Station,
where she led the design team’s
CEEQUAL (LEED Certification
equivalent) certification process.
The station received the highest
possible rating.
David Trumble joined the Melbourne office as a Project Engineer in February. His experience
includes design and construction of above- and below-ground
structures, and hydropower and
transport infrastructure projects.
He received his BE with Honors
in Civil Engineering from Monash
University in Melbourne, Australia.
Steven Zhou, PE, joined the
Cleveland office in March as a
Senior Project Engineer. Steven
has worked on a diverse range of
underground projects, performing geotechnical and structural
design services. He has a PhD in
Geotechnical Engineering from
Ohio State University and MS
and BS degrees in Geotechnical
and Structural Engineering from
Tongji University in Shanghai,
China.
The River Supply Conduit Lower Reach Unit
1A (RSC-1A) is part of the Silver Lake Reservoir
Complex (SLRC) Replacement Project, on
which Jacobs Associates recently provided tunnel design services to the City of Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power (LADWP).
As a subconsultant to AMEC, we are now
providing design support and field monitoring
services during construction for the RSC-1A.
The 6,400-foot-long (1,951 m) pipeline section,
which includes a 2,890-foot-long (881 m)
tunnel beneath Griffith Park, is part of a series of
new water lines connecting a new hydroelectric
generating station to the Headworks Reservoir to
reserve storage capacity after the SLRC is removed
from the LADWP water distribution system. The
RSC 1A tunnel will be excavated through weathered
granitic rock and alluvial soils using an earth balance pressure tunnel boring machine (EPB TBM).
papers presented
Project Engineer Kush Chohan,
PE, transferred from the San
Francisco to the New York
office, where he is working
on the Rondout-West Branch
Bypass Tunnel project.
Jacobs Associates staff members publish papers in proceedings
for both national and international conferences, contributing to the
advancement of underground engineering.
In March, Senior Staff Engineer
Amy Arnold transferred from
Seattle to Auckland She is presently working on the Waterview
Connection for the New Zealand
Transport Authority.
Culvert Replacement under High
Interstate Embankments. Brad
Murray and Dan Dobbels (Jacobs
Associates); Darren Benoit (McFarland-Johnson, Inc.); Danny Landry
and Greg Wilcox (Vermont Agency
of Transportation); Jason Morrill and
Barry Ward (Morrill Construction Co.).
NO-DIG CONFERENCE
(March 3–7)
Dealing with Piles in the Path
of Your Trenchless Installation.
Glenn Boyce, Mark Havekost,
Norm Joyal (Jacobs Associates).
Geotechnical Exploration and Modeling for HDD Design in CobbleRich Fluvial Deposits below I-5/
Sacramento River near Redding
California. Dru Nielson (Jacobs
Associates); Matthew Wallin (Bennett Trenchless Engineers); Donald
J. Kirker (NORCAL Geophysical
Consultants); Mike Fisher (Water
Works Engineers); Ryan Bailey (City
of Redding).
An Innovative Trenchless Technology: Mutual Tugging Method.
Xianping Yao and Xiaoyan Hu
(Shanghai Tunnel Engineering &
Rail Transit Design and Research
Institute); Yiming Sun and Glenn
Boyce (Jacobs Associates).
King County Uses New Shaft Technology on the Ballard Siphon Project. Ade Franklin and Marty Noble
(King County Wastewater Treatment
Dvn.); Jeremy Johnson (Jacobs
Associates); Doug Genzlinger (Tetra
Tech); Kim Staheli (Staheli Trenchless Consultants); John Fowler
(James W. Fowler Co.).
Miami-Dade’s Water Main Government Cut Replacement Project.
Glenn Boyce (JA); Steve Mancini (Ric-Man Construction); Craig
Camp (Hatch Mott MacDonald);
Rick Zavitz (Mears Group); Orlando
Castro (Hazen & Sawyer); Eduardo
Vega (Miami-Dade County Water
& Sewer Dept.).
On February 27, San Francisco office employees volunteered at the San Francisco Food Bank.
Heather Gregg, Vinnie Hung, Charlene Janzen,
Roozbeh Mikola, Isabelle Pawlik, Mike Reesor,
Theresa Umadhay, Yiming Sun, and Markus Williams helped to package over 3,400 pounds of rice for distribution to pantries and families in
the community. With 25,000 volunteers each year, and 450 partner organizations throughout
the community, the Food Bank provides a spectrum of services designed to support the health
and well-being of those in our community who are struggling to make ends meet.
Portland Office Supports Water for People
Jacobs Associates’ Portland office supported the Northwest Oregon Sub-section of Water
for People, which had its 7th Annual Gala in Portland, OR, on
February 9, 2013. The proceeds from the gala go directly to
the nonprofit organization, which helps people in developing
countries improve quality of life through the improvement of
sustainable drinking water, sanitation facilities, and hygiene
education programs.
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Clean Rivers continued from page 1
Principal’s message by Gregg Davidson, PE, CEng
Relocating or Working Remotely: Which Is Best?
Jacobs Associates has seen considerable
growth, both in staff size and geographical
location of our offices and projects, over the
last decade. This growth has been made possible by providing the appropriate level of
professional expertise to not only successfully
pursue a project but, more importantly, to
deliver the project to a client’s expectations.
even across the globe. This has and continues
to work well, although, in our experience, it is
only successful when the remote workers are
“anchored” by a strong team at the project location. This is easy to say, but not so easy to do.
Over the last few years, we here at Jacobs Associates have spent a considerable amount of
time seeking to structure an approach that
meets our client’s requirements while also providing our staff with career-developing work in
an environment that they enjoy. In terms of the
growth of the firm, the biggest asset we have
is our staff. It is important to maintain this
talent by recognizing each person’s individual
strengths, both professionally and personally.
As a specialist firm in the underground industry that does not have a presence in all
the major US cities, we have been selective
in strategically developing an approach to
increasing, or even initiating, our presence
in various market locations. Initially that was
often achieved by teaming with strong local
partners. This approach has served us well
as we have expanded and has allowed us to
readily provide our talents and expertise
to new owners and partners.
To sustain and enhance this growth, however,
a more long-term approach is required. In our
industry, and with the communication means
currently available, it is not uncommon to have
staff working remotely around the country, and
We have found that “one size” does not fit all.
Moving to a new location can be more difficult
for some staff than for others. However, the
prospect of working on a project that is challenging professionally provides an encouragement to staff members to seek alternative
means of getting involved. That could be by
working remotely, and/or frequent travel to
the project site. There is no benefit in forcing
all staff to move to
a location on a permanent/long-term
basis. Staff retention
will suffer. However,
no one benefits from
a completely remote
approach.
second QUARTER
Gregg Davidson is
currently based in the
firm’s Seattle office.
He is the northwest
regional manager and
also serves as deputy
project manager for
the final design contract on the Northgate
Link Extension Light
Rail project in Seattle.
The key is to strike a
balance. We encourage our staff members to find ways of
working that suit
them, while always
recognizing that as we grow in a particular
center we must provide our anchor—staff
invested in the project, area, and region. We
have found that successful growth in new regions occurs once there is a champion—someone on the ground and wanting to take on new
challenges. Others will follow, in person and/
or remotely.
Because of intense flooding in these neighborhoods during the summer and fall of
2012, a Mayor’s Task Force recommended
that the FST be fast tracked ahead of other
tunnel contracts and established a completion
date of March 2016. The FST will initially be
used to temporarily store excess storm water
during weather events. After such an event, a
temporary pumping station will dewater the
tunnel and discharge the stored water back
into the existing sewer system. Within 10
years of completion of the FST project, the
remainder of the Clean Rivers tunnel system will be completed, allowing the FST
to gravity flow to the Blue Plains Plant for
treatment, without pumping.
To achieve the flood reduction by 2016,
the Request for Proposal (RFP) is being
generated and design-build teams will be
shortlisted by spring 2013. The RFP will be
released at a 30% design level, but finalized
through collaboration with the shortlisted
teams. Technical and cost proposals will be
submitted in September 2013, and the selected
design-build team will be given Notice to Proceed in October 2013. Reaping the Benefits of BIM
Brightwater BT3 and Sunnydale Garner Awards
Two Jacobs Associates projects were honored
for the high quality of their design. On January
18, the Brightwater Conveyance System–BT3
Completion Contract received a Silver Award
for “original/innovative application of new or
existing techniques” from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Washington.
On March 6, the Sunnydale Auxiliary Sewer
Tunnel project team accepted the American
Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Region 9
Outstanding Collection System Project Award.
Brightwater’s BT3 Completion (BT3C)
Contract provided an innovative contract
solution to complete the BT-3 tunnel section of
the Brightwater Conveyance System project.
The Brightwater project consists of approximately 13 miles (21 km) of large-diameter
tunnels, constructed at depths of 40 to 440 feet
(12–134 m) below the ground surface through
an urban/suburban area. During BT-3 tunnel
construction, the TBM experienced excessive
wear and was abandoned halfway into its
20,000-foot-long (6,096 m) drive. To complete
excavation, King County negotiated the new
cost-reimbursable BT3C Contract with the Jay
Dee/Coluccio Joint Venture. Direct access to
the TBM from the ground surface was not feasible because of high groundwater pressures
and a tunnel depth of about 320 feet (98 m).
Therefore, the approach selected by the design
team and King County had the smaller BT3C
TBM mine into the abandoned shield of the
larger BT-3 TBM, utilizing ground freezing for
ground improvement.
Because of a highly collaborative effort by
contractors, owner, and designer, the BT3
Completion Tunnel was completed quickly and
successfully.
BT3C Tunnel Team.
SFPUC, SF Department of Public Works and Jacobs
Associates receiving ASCE Region 9 award.
VolUME 32
The Sunnydale Auxiliary Sewer Tunnel
significantly increases the capacity and operational flexibility of San Francisco Public Utility
Commission’s (SFPUC) existing 100-year-old
sewer system in the Visitacion Valley community. The new 5,370-foot-long (1,367 m), 8- to
12-foot-diameter (2.4–3.7 m) sewer tunnel
will be an important best management tool to
minimize localized flooding in the City and
reduce combined sewer discharges into the
San Francisco Bay.
The project team addressed the many challenges of this tunnel project by innovative use
of technology and equipment, teamwork, sound
decision making, value engineering, and an
understanding of community and stakeholder
concerns. The tunnel was completed successfully, safely, under the established budget and
schedule, and in compliance with local subcontracting and hiring requirements.
The project goal was always at the forefront:
to provide this disadvantaged community with
localized storm flooding protection and reliable wastewater service for the next hundred
years. The Sunnydale Auxiliary Sewer Tunnel
is a model for wastewater improvement efforts
in SFPUC’s recently initiated Sewer System
Improvement Program.
Early in Jacobs Associates’ involvement, a decision was made to use Building Information
Modeling (BIM) on all near-surface structures
and drop shafts to improve drawing coordination and the overall quality of documentation.
Once the workflow began, however, it became
nimble assessment
of design changes
as they occur. The
models also increase
visibility (and therefore predictability)
into the design and
construction process by assembling all the major design
components holistically. Doing
this when decisions are fluid gives the
team an opportunity to respond to traditional
downstream considerations earlier in
the process. The models also yield
accurate quantity take-offs for cost
estimates as well as an ideal workbench for constructability review.
Finally, model-derived isometric
drawings allow readers an excellent overview to the contract drawings.
3D assembly of Main Pump Station diversion
structures and drop shaft to Blue Plains Tunnel.
clear the models were adding value in ways
that went well beyond our original intent.
Coordination and clash detection are often at
the top of every BIM wish list, but the value
doesn’t end there. The parametric or associative nature of object-based solid modeling
creates a flexible environment, allowing for
The Clean Rivers project team has been leveraging the value of BIM through every step of
the design process—improving work quality,
increasing visibility for all project stakeholders, and identifying change when change is
inexpensive to make.
Mark is a senior staff engineer working on
the Blue Plains Tunnel project. Amanda is a
senior project engineer working on the Anacostia River Tunnel project. Joel is a lead associate working on First Street Tunnel design.
Eric is a senior project consultant on multiple
work packages for the Clean Rivers project.
He brings proven project management
expertise in the delivery of transit
stations, from preliminary and final
design through construction. Andrew
was an integral team member in the
successful design and construction of
the Sea-Tac Link Light Rail Station and Tukwila
Boulevard Station along the Central Link Light
Rail route that connects Seattle–Tacoma Inter­
national Airport to downtown Seattle. Additionally, he served as the project manager for the
We appreciate your feedback.
finalliner@jacobssf.com
Visit us at www.jacobssf.com
or call us at 800.842.3794
Executive Editor Victor Romero, PE, CPEng
Managing Editors Rebecca Anicich, CPSM;
Julie McCullough (Acting)
Contributing Editors Lauren Curley; LE McCutcheon,
CPSM; PJ Roscoe; Carl Williams
Art Direction/Design Seth McGinnis
San Francisco, CA 415.434.1822
Boston, MA 781.852.0450
Cleveland, OH 216.292.9710
New York, NY 212.376.1310
Pasadena, CA 626.737.6520
© 2013 Jacobs Associates
architectural finishes of the Terminal
Walkway Pedestrian Bridge that links
Sea-Tac Link Light Rail Station to an
existing airport parking garage.
Currently, Andrew is the contract
package lead for the Northgate Link Light Rail
Extension elevated guideway and station in
the Northgate area of Seattle. He holds MA and
BA degrees in Architecture from the University
of Washington.
Portland, OR 503.227.1800
San Diego, CA 619.565.2747
Seattle, WA 206.588.8200
Walnut Creek, CA 925.945.0677
Each year, Trenchless Technology magazine surveys North American engineering firms involved in the trenchless field for its annual Top 50 Trenchless Design Firm showcase. This year
Jacobs Associates ranked at number 23—up from a ranking of 35 in 2011. The increase is a
result of our new Trenchless Services Center, established in 2011 in Walnut Creek, California,
which has expanded our capabilities in trenchless technology services and geotechnical engineering, including laboratory testing of soil and rock samples.
Project update by Mark Kroncke, PE, Amanda Morgan, PE, Joel Kantola, PE, and Eric Westergren
DC Clean Rivers Project Update
consists of a 12,500-footlong (3,810 m), 23-foot ID
(7 m), 100- to 120-footdeep (30–37 m) soft
ground tunnel. Additionally, there are six drop shafts,
three of which have deep
adit connections to the
ART, as well as two diversion chamber and several
near-surface structures.
Assembly of Blue Plains Tunnel
TBM main drive and shield.
The DC Clean Rivers project consists of several
large-diameter soft ground tunnels that divert
storm water and combined sewer overflow
(CSO) by gravity from combined sewers near the
Anacostia and Potomac rivers to the Blue Plains
Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant (Blue
Plains Plant) at the southern tip of Washington
DC. Since 2009, Jacobs Associates has provided
program management services for the project’s
tunnel components. Below is an update on four
major aspects of this $2.6 billion District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water)
project, which continues to be on schedule.
Prepping for Blue Plains
Tunnel TBM Launch
Lead Associate Andrew Engel Welcomed
Andrew Engel, AIA, joined Jacobs Associates’
Seattle office in February as a Lead Associate.
Andrew has 23 years of diverse design experience, including 14 years specializing in the
management of architectural transit designs.
His understanding of the human factors of
built environments, especially transit stations
and their associated elements, will enhance
how Jacobs Associates addresses public spaces
and access within and around our underground structures.
2013
Work has steadily progressed on the Blue
Plains Tunnel. Slurry wall construction for four
of the five large-diameter shafts is complete.
Their inside diameters (ID) range from 50 to
132 feet (15–40 m), and their depths from
110 to 170 feet (34–52 m). Excavation of the
50-foot ID (15 m) Bolling Air Force Base Drop
Shaft and the 55-foot ID (17 m) Poplar Point
Junction Shaft will be performed in the wet
using clamshell-bucket methods. Excavation
of the 132-foot ID (40 m) Pump Station Shaft
and the 76-foot ID (23 m) Screening Shaft at
the Treatment Plant site have both reached
Seven design-build teams
submitted Statements of
Qualifications for ART in
December 2011. Of these,
three were short listed.
These teams then particiBlue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility along
pated in a nine-month-long
Potomac River. Photo courtesy of Traylor Bros., Inc.
collaboration process with
temporary slab elevation. These shafts are
DC Water. Jacobs Associates provided technibeing readied for launch of the tunnel boring
cal support during this process. The three
machine (TBM), scheduled for late May 2013.
shortlisted teams submitted both technical and
price proposals on January 15, 2013. DC Water
The fifth shaft slurry wall, with a 60-foot ID
is in the process of selecting a design-build
(18 m), located near Nationals Park in southteam based on a best value selection. The new
west DC, is scheduled for completion by May
team is expected to be selected in early spring.
2013. Prior to the start of shaft construction,
Fast Tracking First Street
a large-scale soil mixing operation—consistTunnel to Address Flooding
ing of nearly 170 soil mix columns, 3 to 8 feet
(1.0–2.5 m) in diameter, and 40 to 50-feet (12
Long-term flood prevention for the Bloomingto 15 m) deep—was installed to improve the
dale and LeDroit Park residential neighborsoft fill and alluvial material at the site.
hoods in northern DC is a key part of the Clean
Choosing Design-Builder
Rivers project. The most northern, or upstream,
for Anacostia River Tunnel
of the proposed flood control tunnels affecting
these neighborhoods is the First Street TunThe Anacostia River Tunnel (ART) project is
nel (FST)—a 2,700-foot-long (823 m), 80- to
presently undergoing selection of its design160-foot-deep (24–49 m) soft ground tunnel.
build team. ART is the second large-diameter
Its minimum inside diameter is 18.5 feet (5.6
tunnel contract of the DC Clean Rivers Project. m). Four drop shafts will be required to divert
The tunnel drive will begin near RFK Stadium wet weather flows into the tunnel.
and connect to the Blue Plains Tunnel at the
Continued on page 8
Poplar Point Junction Shaft. The ART project
more news inside
Washington, DC 571.357.1879
Auckland, New Zealand +64 9 551 2325
Docklands, VIC, AUS +61 3 8102 1800
Vancouver, BC, Canada 604.336.8630
Hitting Number 23 on the Trenchless
Technology’s Top 50 List
Jacobs Associates provides practical, cost-effective, and innovative
solutions for difficult underground projects and excels in the water,
wastewater, and transportation sectors. With an emphasis on tunnels
and shafts, we offer a full range of design and construction management capabilities. We also offer the broader heavy civil construction
industry a robust package of claims and dispute resolution services.
•
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Project Announcements
Principal’s Message
Project Awards
Just Answers
Retrofitting BART Tunnel
Gorge 2nd Tunnel Final Design
•
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Four SoCal Project Wins
San Jacinto Tunnel
Vermont Trenchless Rehabilitation
Muck Bucket
Community Involvement
New Lead Associate
Project announcements
Central Subway TBMs on the Move
In February, Jacobs Associates and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)
witnessed factory acceptance testing of Mom Chung, the first of the Central Subway Project’s
two earth pressure balance tunnel boring machines (TBMs). Contractor Barnard Impregilo
Healy JV, who was awarded the tunneling contract in January 2012 for $233.6 million, ordered
the two TBMs from the Robbins Company. Mom Chung shipped from Guangzhou, China, on
March 18, and the second TBM (Big Alma) will follow in a few weeks.
Excavation begins this summer after TBM assembly in the launch box under an active San Francisco freeway. Each of the twin tunnels is approximately 1.5 miles long (2.4 km) and will be
excavated primarily through the Colma and Franciscan formations, passing closely under existing Muni and BART tunnels. One-pass, precast concrete segments with gaskets are being fabricated by Precast Management Corporation in Nevada. TBM launch box installation is currently
being completed, and work is proceeding on headwalls for two of the underground stations as
well as compensation grout tubes and shafts for building protection during construction. Jacobs
Associates is providing program management and construction management for the $1.6 billion
Central Subway Program.
Jacobs Associates and SFMTA staff with
Mom Chung. Photo courtesy of The Robbins Co.
TBM Bound for Landmark Waterview Project
New Zealand’s landmark Waterview Connection project is one step closer to tunneling. The
New Zealand Transport Agency’s Well-Connected Alliance formally accepted the world’s 10th
largest TBM at a ceremony at the Herrenknecht factory in Guangzhou, China, on March 7. The
14.5-meter-diameter (47.6 ft) TBM was specifically designed for the unique ground conditions
that will be encountered on this NZ$1.4 billion project, the biggest transport construction
project in New Zealand’s history. The handover marks completion of 14 months of design, building, and testing. The TBM is due to arrive in Auckland in July, and will be reassembled at the
project’s southern portal. Tunneling is scheduled to begin October. Jacobs Associates provided
tunnel consulting services to NZTA during preparation of the minimum requirements for the
tenders, then served as NZTA “embeds” on the two tender teams competing for the project.
During the detailed design phase, we are providing peer review services to the alliance for the
design of all tunnel and retaining wall structures.
Waterview TBM at Herrenknecht factory in China.
Bay Tunnel Hole-Through Milestone!
On January 11 at 3 a.m., construction crews made history when the 15-foot-diameter (4.56 m)
Hitachi-Zosen EPB-TBM reached the Newark Shaft location in the East Bay. The 5-mile-long
(8 km) Bay Tunnel is the first TBM-excavated tunnel under San Francisco Bay, and the flagship
project of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s Water System Improvement Program
(WSIP). The Michels/Jay Dee/Coluccio joint venture completed excavation in just 16 months—
8 months ahead of schedule. The tunnel lies at depths ranging from 75 to 110 feet (23 to 34 m)
in sandy and silty clays under high groundwater pressures of up to 3.5 bar, and passes through
a short section of highly weathered Franciscan Complex bedrock. The miners are now preparing
the tunnel for installation of the 108-inch-diameter (2,740 mm) steel liner. The steel pipe, manufactured in California, will be installed in 40-foot (12.2 m) sections, welded together inside
the tunnel, and backfilled with cellular concrete. As the prime consultant, Jacobs Associates
led the tunnel design and is currently providing construction support services.
Newark Retrieval Shaft TBM hole through.