Alabama Vining Trail Bridge

2005 Washington Aggregates and Concrete Association Finalist for Excellence in Concrete Construction-Bridges

The City of Bellingham has an extensive set of trails that pass through the City. A trail crosses Alabama Street in the vicinity of Vining Street. The trail crosses at a mid block location on a very steep hill (10% grade). We prepared an alternative study that identified the potential options for a crossing at this site. This included performing a survey of the site, contacting all utilities in the area, performing a property search, defining the wetlands in the area, performing a geotechnical study, and contacting the environmental agencies. With this information, we developed alternative crossing concepts that included bridges and tunnels. We prepared the preliminary design for each of these alternatives to prepare cost estimates for the project. We then designed the selected alternative for construction. The selected alternative is a concrete bridge with vee piers next to Alabama Street.