Santa Monica's New Pedestrian Bridge Wins Major Engineering Award

By Lookout Staff

April 19, 2018 -- Santa Monica's new pedestrian bridge across the California Incline has been named California’s Outstanding Bikeway and Trails Project for 2017, TRC Companies Inc. announced this week.

The spiraling footbridge from the Palisades Park cliffs to Santa Monica Beach was given the award by the American Society of Civil Engineers, said officials of the firm, which served as construction manager on the project.

Photos courtesy TRC Companies Inc.

It is the third major award the project has received. “The Idaho Avenue Overcrossing is a striking new addition to Santa Monica’s beautiful waterfront, and TRC is thrilled to share in this prestigious award,” said Doug Massih, president of TRC’s infrastructure sector. Designed by T.Y. Lin, the new $1.9 million overcrossing replaced the original 1957 structure that was in need of earthquake retrofitting and other upgrades.

The old pedestrian bridge had repeatedly received poor ratings for structural integrity, according to City staff ("Santa Monica Takes Step Toward Building New Pedestrian Bridge Over Incline," November 12, 2015).

The bridge -- which included the construction of a 1.2 mile bike path and jogging trail -- was part of a larger $20 million project to rebuild the California Incline Bridge to Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).

City officials originally wanted to add the pedestrian bridge as part of the larger construction project, but backed off after encountering “a lot of public concern” about how long the construction work would keep PCH closed, staff told the Council in 2015.

Santa Monica's new pedestrian bridge also has received awards that include a 2018 Engineering Excellence Honor Award from the American Council on Engineering Companies of California and the 2017 International Bridge Conference Arthur G. Hayden Medal, company officials said.

"For motorists driving up the California Incline, the V-shaped pier of the overcrossing frames stunning views of the Santa Monica Pier, the beach and the Pacific Ocean," TRC officials said.