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Lymon C. Reese & Associates Projects in Structural Engineering |
Project Location: La Paz, State of Baja California Sur, México
Client: TelNor S.A. de C.V.; México City
Dates: February-1997 to March-1997
The City of Austin is extending the existing South first Street for a total length of about 10,000 ft south of its current termination. The roadway covers a total width of 120 ft, carrying four lanes of traffic, two bike lanes, two pedestrian sidewalks, and a median of 20-ft width. Two bridges of about 500 ft and 400 ft lengths are necessary for the crossings of the new roadway over Slaughter Creek and Nichols Branch Creek. The roadway crossings are designed with twin-bridge structures over the creek, each bridge with a width of 39 ft, each carrying two lanes of traffic, a bike lane, and a pedestrian sidewalk.
The “Central La Paz” building houses telecommunications equipment and antennas in charge of long-distance calls that are made from La Paz to the interior cities of the Republic of México and to foreign locations.
The main structure is a five-story (55,000 ft2, 80-ft height) reinforced-concrete frame with unreinforced masonry infill wall panels. Overall structural stability during design-level earthquakes according to the 1994 Uniform Building Code were reviewed. Alternatives considered for the strengthening details were restricted by existing telecommunication equipment and limited-land access. Architectural requirements further limited the alternative for retrofit.