SAN FRANCISCO – Arup, a global built environment consultancy, and WSP, a global engineering and professional services firm, recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Presidio Parkway, a critical link for the Bay Area’s transportation system that has enhanced the region’s mobility, open space and economic vitality.
Project partners and key collaborators, including the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), the Presidio Trust and Golden Link Concessionaire (GLC), as well as notable elected officials gathered at the Tunnel Tops Park to commemorate this significant milestone on July 11. The ceremony, initiated by GLC, was a testament to the role the parkway has played for San Francisco and the broader Bay Area.
A section of US 101, the Presidio Parkway serves as San Francisco’s gateway to the Golden Gate Bridge. The project replaced the aging Doyle Drive, which was deteriorating, seismically unsafe and unable to safely serve its tens of thousands of daily users. The project’s unique design works with the surrounding landscape, opening up views, reconnecting the Presidio to the waterfront and creating 50 acres of new parkland, and preserving the historic buildings and veteran’s cemetery of the former U.S. Army’s West Coast headquarters.
Since opening in 2015, Presidio Parkway has fostered a more interconnected Bay Area and has helped the Presidio Trust to enhance development of this unique urban National Park. A vital neighborhood amenity, the revitalized Presidio has brought new business and residents to San Francisco. The parkway also promotes mobility and sustainability within the region as the first Greenroads-certified highway in the U.S.
Working with a diverse group of public and private stakeholders, Arup and WSP played key roles in creating the Presidio Parkway. WSP led the environmental review process, while Arup team members were involved in early conversations with landscape architect Michael Painter about the technical feasibility of the replacement of Doyle Drive and its existing infrastructure. The joint venture envisioned a solution that met Caltrans safety regulations and supported long-term traffic needs while also providing cost savings and significantly reducing and avoiding impacts to historic buildings and the environment.
The joint venture provided multidisciplinary engineering to help bring the project to life, including management and technical support throughout construction. The joint venture was also instrumental in helping the project’s sponsors pursue a public-private partnership (P3) procurement method to deliver the Presidio Parkway at a time when P3 delivery was not a common infrastructure delivery method in the United States. The combination of traditional and P3 methods helped accelerate schedule to achieve seismic safety and to deliver the complex project on time and at a lower cost by managing potential risks.
“I am thrilled to see Presidio Parkway’s positive impact in the Bay Area since its completion,” said Ignacio Barandiaran, a principal at Arup in San Francisco. “The parkway is a critical link that keeps the region’s people and economy moving. By reconnecting the Presidio to San Francisco’s waterfront, the parkway has helped transform the Presidio from the historic U.S. Army’s West Coast headquarters to the thriving National Park and urban district it is today. It was especially rewarding to celebrate this milestone with our friends and partners at SFCTA, WSP, Caltrans and GLC, and we look forward to seeing the project continue to benefit people in the decades to come.”
“Ten years after its opening, Presidio Parkway stands as a remarkable achievement that has delivered for the Bay area and beyond,” said John Fisher, California region executive for WSP in the U.S. “Its pioneering P3 approach, for example, helped transportation agencies nationwide better understand the benefits and opportunities of alternative delivery procurements, and the collaboration between WSP, Arup, SFTCA, Caltrans and GLC is a model for delivering big, complex transportation infrastructure successfully, from the first kickoff meetings to ribbon cutting. We’re all extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve and collaborate with Caltrans, SFCTA and GLC, and proud of our involvement with all our partners. It’s incredible and rewarding to see the sustained regional benefits a decade later and the industry legacy established by Presidio Parkway.”
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About Arup
Arup is a global built environment consultancy with technical and advisory expertise across more than 150 disciplines. We advise on, plan, and design the future of the built environment.
Arup in the United States of America has a diverse staff of over 2,000 people across 12 offices. In 1985, we established our first US office in San Francisco, and Arup’s presence has since grown to include a portfolio of projects across diverse industries and regions. Our engineers, consultants, designers, and planners are dedicated to sustainable development, offering multidisciplinary services to shape a more resilient, equitable built environment. arup.com
About WSP in the U.S.
WSP is one of the world’s leading professional services firms, uniting its engineering, advisory and science-based expertise to shape communities to advance humanity. From local beginnings to a globe-spanning presence today, WSP operates in more than 50 countries and employs approximately 73,000 professionals, known as Visioneers. WSP in the U.S.’s team of 19,000 professionals pioneer solutions and deliver innovative projects across the transportation, infrastructure, environment, building, energy, water, and mining and metals sectors. wsp.com
