ASCE SLO Branch Awards Honor Local Projects

06/05/2023

On May 18th, 2023, several projects were awarded honors by the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) San Luis Obispo Branch. The following agencies earned recognition in various categories:

• California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly): Fremont Hill Landslide Stabilization Project
• City of San Luis Obispo: Tank Farm and Orcutt Road Roundabout, and
• MI San Luis Ranch / City of San Luis Obispo: Froom Ranch Way Bridge

California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo: Fremont Hill Landslide Stabilization Project earned the 2023 Outstanding Geotechnical Project Category. In 2017, a season of heavy rains mobilized a slow-moving landslide that impacted Cal Poly’s Fremont Hall dormitory. Residents were immediately evacuated and relocated to alternative housing. The dormitory is one of six residence halls known as the “red bricks” that were built in the late 1950s. It was originally constructed in a cut of the toe of an unstable hillside. The Fremont Hillside Restoration and Stabilization Project rehabilitated the slope and surrounding hillside, allowing the dorm to be safely reoccupied after three years of vacancy. Cannon provided survey and general civil engineering services, including grading and drainage plans for the slope, subsurface drains, and dorm courtyard improvements. To learn more about this project, click here.

This project has brought the area back to life and has been a huge success in helping to stabilize the slope behind Cal Poly dorms and improve safety for all involved. Congratulations to Cal Poly on your successful project and the recognition you’ve received!

City of San Luis Obispo: Tank Farm and Orcutt Road Roundabout was selected for the 2023 Outstanding Transportation Project award. This project was created when population growth in San Luis Obispo called for improving traffic flow. The City of San Luis Obispo installed a new roundabout with roadway tie-ins; utility undergrounding, relocations, and extensions; drainage improvements; ADA-compliant pedestrian walkways and wayfinding; and a new public art piece to represent the gate to the City. Cannon provided construction management, inspection, and material testing for the Orcutt Tank Farm Roundabout project.

We were pleased to work with the City of San Luis Obispo, design engineers, contractors, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, and adjacent property owners. Also, special thanks to Earth Systems and SWCA Environmental Consultants for assisting us with material testing, special inspections, and pre-construction surveys. Excellent job team on your hard work, and congratulations on your well-deserved award!

MI San Luis Ranch / City of San Luis Obispo: Froom Ranch Way Bridge was honored in the 2023 Outstanding Community Improvement category. Froom Ranch Way Bridge (Froom Bridge) is a part of the larger, San Luis Ranch Development in the City of San Luis Obispo, California. The bridge provides a key access point into the San Luis Ranch community from Los Osos Valley Road, and it connects to Dalidio Way across a critical City drainage channel in the vicinity of a 100-year flood plain. It is a single-span, 142.5-foot, corten steel, vehicular and pedestrian bridge that provides emergency vehicle access into the community.

Cannon worked with the owner, the City of San Luis Obispo, and the developer, MI San Luis Ranch, on this project. Cannon served as the primary engineering consultant, with Wallace Group providing hydraulic engineering, Cornerstone Structural Engineering Group providing structural engineering, and Althouse & Meade providing environmental consulting. Congratulations to the team!