Busramp Viaduct Replacement

Providing exclusive freeway connection to the Salesforce Transit Center – the Grand Central Station of the West Coast

The Busramp Viaduct Project provides an exclusive bus-only exit off WB I-80 and the Bay Bridge to the new Salesforce Transit Center. The $58 million Busramp project is a 1045 ft long Viaduct terminating with a Stay-Cable Span that connects the Bay Bridge directly to the Salesforce Terminal Center Building. The main feature of the Bus Ramps project is Cable-Stayed portion (Frame 4) of the Viaduct, which is otherwise known as the “mini-Bay Bridge”. The Viaduct consisted of 5 frames, including CIP-PS Box Girders (Frame 1-3), Cable Stayed Bridge (Frame 4), and Composite Plate Girder (Frame 5). Other work included: two additional CIP-PS Box Girder Bridges; a CIP-PS Box Girder Widening; an RC Box Girder; Cantilevered Retaining Walls; MSE Walls; HMA Paving; Concrete Barriers; and OH Sign Structures.

The Stay-Cable Frame consists of a large central tower, known as Pylon 9, which is the central point of the Frame. The Busramp Viaduct is the first Stay-Cable Bridge in California that directly connects to a Transit Building.

Substrate provided key role position for Trade Package 18.1 – Busramp. Sunny Jhutti PE, SE was in the key role as the Resident Engineer/Structure’s Representative responsible for the Construction Management of the Busramp Viaduct. Substrate also provided Field Inspection Support to ensure quality construction of this project.

As the Resident Engineer/Structure’s Representative Substrate was involved in key decisions with the Cable-Stayed Bridge Stress and Geometry Monitoring Procedures, Recording, and Acceptance Criteria, as the Specifications were not fully developed on this project. Other challenges included working in an urban environment with minimal areas for construction staging, construction adjacent to buildings, limited vertical clearances for Falsework, Falsework and Permanent Bridge feature built adjacent to the MUNI high-voltage OCS-lines, buried man-made objects, and coordination with 18 different trade packages, including demolition, temporary bridges, civil and building related activities. Finally, there was coordination with stakeholders as TJPA was the owner, but there was significant oversight by Caltrans, the City of San Francisco, and SFMTA. Moreover, there was significant coordination with AC Transit, WestCAT, GoldenGate Transit, etc. buses that will eventually occupy the new Salesfore Transit Terminal. As a high-profile, high-visibility, high-risk project, the public outreach component on this project was critical. It was chosen by ENR Magazine for the Best California Projects in 2018 – Transit Structures.

“The biggest challenge at Transbay was working in a tight urban environment. In many cases adjacent buildings were just inches away. The coolest feature on this project was the Frame 4 – Cable-Stayed portion of the bridge, which involved intricate strand sequencing and two-end stressing.” – Sunny Jhutti, PE, SE – Substrate, Inc

Value Added to the Client

Dennis Turchon, PE Senior Construction Manager at TJPA wrote, “Sunny played in instrumental role in helping establish a new working relationship with the contractor, improving quality, providing technical support (especially with respect to grades and Falsework), helping administering the project, and helping successfully deliver this project with satisfactory “end results” such as: Deck Grades, Smoothness and drivability, Deck Longitudinal grooving, and Bridge finishing and aesthetics. In administration, Sunny played in an instrumental role facilitating and coordinating work the Caltrans Oversight Engineers and helped negotiate and write critical Contract Change Orders.”

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