News

MNS Transportation Wins the Cabrillo Boulevard Bridge Project Over Mission Creek!

Congratulations to the MNS team for their win on the Cabrillo Boulevard Bridge Replacement Project! The project is located right down the street from our Santa Barbara office next to Stearn’s Wharf.

 

History of Cabrillo Boulevard Bridge

This historic bridge was originally built in 1913, but additional reconstruction was performed in 1927 and 1977. This bridge was built on one of the busiest roads in Santa Barbara because it is right next to the iconic Stearn’s Wharf pier which brings in a lot of tourism into Santa Barbara.

One of the City’s objectives is to preserve the architectural integrity of the aesthetic features reflecting these periods of history that have long contributed to the atmosphere of the waterfront community in the region. Therefore, both the structural and architectural features of the replacement project have been carefully planned to include features that are consistent with the historic nature of this highly used public facility.

[ read more… ]

MNS CM Transportation Department Wins US 101/Los Osos Valley Road Interchange Improvements Project!

Congratulations to the MNS team for their win on the Los Osos Valley Road Interchange Improvement!  The US 101/Los Osos Valley Road (LOVR) Interchange Improvements Project represents a vital improvement for traffic capacity and circulation in southern San Luis Obispo.

The current three-lane Los Osos Valley Road interchange was built in 1962. As the City and population has grown, the interchange is in need of structural repair and widening to improve travel conditions and accessibility to a variety of transportation types. The purpose of the US 101/LOVR Interchange Improvements project is to maximize the efficiency of LOVR and the US 101/LOVR Interchange in order to improve functionality and accommodate the growing amount of traffic. LOVR serves as the only primary east/west corridor between South Higuera Street and the community of Los Osos.

Pitkins Curve: Transportation Construction Management

MNS Transportation Division, Construction Management Team: Spotlight Project

Hazardous Rock-slides on One of California’s Landmark Motorways

The Pitkins Curve and Rain Rocks Shed project, located between Monterey and Cambria on California State Route 1 (Highway 1) was a major undertaking aimed at making a dangerous section of the scenic state highway safer for motorists.

The Pitkins Curve area of Highway 1 is part of an active landslide­; rock slides are a fact of life here, rather than an unusual occurrence. Its geological composition is particularly unstable. Rock slides repeatedly closed the original road and presented a significant danger to motorists.

Foreseeing that Pitkins Curve would continue to be a major safety issue and an access impediment for the millions of tourists traveling through the area each year, not to mention a major maintenance and cost issue, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) developed an innovative solution to the problem. [ read more… ]

Construction Management Principal Peter Brennan Joins MNS Engineers

Firm Strengthens Position as Water Resources Infrastructure Market Leader with Key New Hire

Westlake Village, CA (August 20, 2013)—California infrastructure services firm MNS Engineers Inc. announced Tuesday that it has appointed Peter Brennan, PE, CCM, as Principal Construction Manager, working within the firm’s Water Resources Division.

MNS’s President and CEO, Jim Salvito, said, “Bringing Peter on board means we can now meet the growing demand from public agency clients for the top-quality, high-value construction management services MNS is known for. With Peter joining the team, MNS can now service the Water Resources Market across a wider geographical area, ultimately serving a greater number of clients.” [ read more… ]

Lindero Canyon Road aerial photo
MNS Chosen for Lindero Canyon Road Bridge Improvements

The Lindero Canyon Road Bridge Improvements project is the third component of a three phase improvement plan to improve circulation and reduce traffic congestion along the Lindero Canyon Road corridor. The interchange is an important link for motorists to access commercial, industrial, and residential areas on both sides of the freeway. This project primarily modifies the existing bridge overpass at Lindero Canyon Road and Highway 101, and the approaching roadway. These modifications will include: removal of the existing center median; addition of a travel lane in each direction; removal and replacement of the existing exterior barriers with aesthetic treatments; northbound Lindero Canyon Road on-ramp median modification; and related grading, drainage, utility and traffic signal improvements.

The City of Westlake Village chose MNS to provide construction management services for this project.

Quails in Concrete Stamping at Willow Road
Concrete Art on California’s Highways

Whether you know it or not, you’ve seen concrete stamping before—from freeway structures we use every day to landmarks of ancient architecture, this technique for molding or impressing scenes and patterns into wet concrete is used to add visual interest to what could otherwise be seen as boring slabs of cement. [ read more… ]

MNS Construction Management Team member Dean Russu
Rocky Creek Viaduct: Safer Transportation Infrastructure

In April of 2011, a landslide damaged a 200-foot portion of California State Route 1—a historic part of our state’s transportation infrastructure—along the steep cliffs between Bixby Bridge and Rocky Creek Bridge, south of Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea.

The hillside was stabilized right away using a soil nail wall, but the highway had to be reduced to one lane with signal-controlled traffic through the area. The Rocky Creek Viaduct, a 600-foot bridge structure, is being constructed to completely replace the roadway adjacent to the repaired slope. Creating a bridge here means future landslides won’t affect the Viaduct area—any slide material will pass between the bridge and the hillside, keeping motorists safe and preventing further expensive damage to this stretch of road. [ read more… ]

MNS Supports Southern California Clients with New Office

We’re pleased to announce the opening of our new Westlake Village branch office! Located at 4580 East Thousand Oaks Blvd., Suite 101, the custom-remodeled office will help us better serve and support our growing southern California client base. Photos of our Westlake Village staff settling into the new space can be found here, at our official Facebook page.

Greenfield Shrinkwrap

Did you know it was possible to shrinkwrap an entire building? It can help contain toxic substances like lead paint, keeping the surrounding community safe while a structure is restored. We’re rehabilitating the water tower in Greenfield, CA right now; you can see it here, surrounded by completely shrinkwrapped scaffolding. Our project manager, Doug Pike, tells us, “The old Greenfield water tower, built in 1910, is a landmark and part of this small town’s identity. Because the old coatings contained some lead-based paint, the paint prep work was performed ‘under wraps’ to prevent the chips and debris from drifting off City property.” For more photos, see our Facebook photo album.

San Jose Creek Update

Work at the San Jose Creek will stop October 31, 2012, and resume in May of 2013, as environmental permits are in place to protect the creek’s ecosystem. For more information, check the San Jose Creek Project website, maintained by the City of Goleta; you might catch sight of MNS construction management staff in the videos.