Canyon Springs Boulevard road improvements
Buckeye, Ariz.
BEST PROJECT
Sent by: Haydon
Owner: Festival Ranch North LLC
Main design company: Hilgart Wilson
General contractor: Haydon
Civil Engineer: Hilgart Wilson
Structural Engineer: Stanley Consultants Inc.
A 45-foot-tall, 385-foot-long three-span bridge over the Central Arizona Project (CAP) Canal in North Buckeye offers a new way to cross the waterway and increases access for the local community . The scope of work for this $12.4 million project included the installation of 33 beams, 11 in each span, 1,300 cubic yards of concrete for the bridge deck, and a culvert 250 feet long . Given the location of the site, the only way to access the north side of the project was at the nearest canal crossing, 1.5 miles to the west. This required strategic planning and scheduling to minimize team mobilization and maximize work efficiency.
Planning with business partners optimized the logistics of mobilizing the two 550-tonne cranes which were brought in with 19 transport trucks each and then assembled on site, one on each side of the canal.
To fix the mid-span beams, the two cranes worked together, passing the beams from one to the other to place them on the channel.
Photo by Ronnie Dale Louis
The scope also included placing 2,000 linear feet of 16-in. Water line of ductile iron pipes, with 385 feet of waterline suspended under the bridge, paving 11,000 square meters of asphalt and building 12 retaining walls to support the infrastructure.
The construction of the bridge over the open waters of the canal required additional safety measures. The team implemented specialized protocols, including a safety line that crosses the channel downstream of the bridge equipped with buoys that serve as a visual and physical barrier. Employees working on the water wore self-inflating life jackets in addition to standard fall protection harnesses.
Proactive community outreach ensured that surrounding residents were well informed about all construction activities. With a housing community located at the southern end of the project, the contractor coordinated closely with the homeowners association and held regular meetings to discuss project updates.
Collaboration with CAP authorities was vital to ensure that construction activities did not compromise the canal at any time. Completed in July 2023, the bridge plays a crucial role in connecting the community and providing much-needed access for future development.
