“The 6th Street Bridge design competition will make sure the new bridge reflects our City’s spirit and style,” said mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Last November, the city council approved the redesign and replacement of the 80-year-old viaduct, which suffers from alkali silica reaction and is seen as at risk of failure during a major earthquake. The preferred alternative is for a cable-stayed design.
We are excited to get started on such an iconic, meaningful project for the city of Los Angeles," said city engineer Gary Lee Moore. "This international call for qualifications and the design competition will ensure that we end up with the best possible project for the community.”
The international competition will solicit designs from across the globe in two phases. Firstly, project teams will be asked to submit qualifications. This is expected to start on 25 April.
Secondly, the Bureau of Engineering and Caltrans officials, with input from the community, will choose a select few teams to advance into the design competition. The winner is expected to be chosen towards the end of this year.
The US$401 million redesign and construction of the 6th Street Bridge will support almost 5,000 jobs and is the largest of the Bureau of Engineering’s US$1 billion bridge portfolio.
Construction is expected to begin by early 2015. The target year for opening is 2018.
