August 6, 2004

UCSD To Discontinue Campus Bridge Project

By Dolores Davies

Due to inadequate funding, four consecutive years of state budget cuts, and escalating bridge construction costs, the University of California, San Diego has decided to discontinue work on a proposed advanced composites bridge spanning Interstate 5 to connect the east and west portions of the campus.

The I-5 Advanced Technology Bridge Project is an initiative jointly funded by Caltrans, Federal Highway Authority (FHWA) and UCSD to design and construct a 450-foot vehicular traffic, dual plane, asymmetric cable-stayed bridge featuring advanced material technology and innovative construction methods. Approximately $7.4 million has been spent on design and full-scale testing since the project’s formal inception in 1998 ($4.1 million from Caltrans and FHWA and $3.3 million from UCSD). The current estimate for the total cost of the bridge would be $20.8 million more, for a total of $28.2 million.

Research on the I-5 bridge project has led to numerous advances in the field of advanced composite materials, including the construction of King’s Stormwater Channel Bridge in Riverside County, built on State Highway 86 in 2001. In addition, UCSD has completed extensive research and testing analyzing the advanced composite materials proposed for the bridge, which have proven that these materials have considerable potential for future bridge construction.

“Although we regret that the project will not move forward at this time, we appreciate the invaluable research and technology development completed by UCSD to date and are hopeful that in the future this work can be applied to a new transportation project,” said Caltrans District Director Pedro Orso-Delgado.

UCSD greatly appreciates the partnership with both Caltrans and FHWA on this initiative and is hopeful that it can collaborate with them in the future to employ this important technology in addressing critical transportation issues.

Media Contacts: Dolores Davies (858) 534-5994