Environmental Engineering News
Progress is being made on the proposed $118 million park that will sit on top of highway tunnels in San Francisco, California. When finished, the Presidio Tunnel Tops (an environmental engineering marvel) will be part of the national park system. The project is led by the Presidio Trust in partnership with the National Park Service and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.
The leading construction agency, Swinerton Builders, originally broke ground in late 2019. It was projected to be completed in the fall of 2021. Due to delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Presidio Tunnel Tops are now expected to open in the spring of 2022.
A recent blog from the Engineering News Record (ENR) California states, “The project is an example of a growing trend to turn derelict highways and rail lines into public green spaces and parkland.”
What was once an unused area will now include many amenities for visitors such as walking trails and an interactive play area. As a side note… this play area’s purpose is to allow children who mostly reside in urban areas to make connections with nature.
These types of projects advance the use of more sustainable techniques in the field of environmental engineering. By creating a green space above the highway tunnels, the design partners man-made construction solutions with environmentally friendly spaces.
Environmental Engineering at OEI
Through our industry leading approach, OEI’s environmental design team partners sustainable infrastructure systems with aesthetically pleasing and multifunctional spaces for our public and private clients. We provide environmental engineering design and permitting support as well as project management. Among many successfully completed environmental engineering projects, we designed landfills, golf courses, and dams. By creating an outdoor recreation area connected with a water resource management system our environmental design team can provide both entertainment for a community and a reliable and safe infrastructure system.