Located on the island of Hawaii, Kealakaha Stream Bridge traverses a 165 ft deep and 610 ft wide ravine.  This curved structure is 720 ft long with three spans of 180 ft, 360 ft and 180 ft.  It consists of 100 ft and 205 ft long post-tensioned spliced girders, box girder construction above the two piers, staged post-tensioning, and seismic base isolation.

Due to the location of this structure, numerous challenges were presented.   The winding roads leading to this site limited girder lengths to 50 ft.  Steep terrain at the bridge and environmental concerns created access issues at the foundations and constricted the available work area.  In addition, Kealakaha Stream Bridge was required to be designed for an acceleration coefficient of 0.4g due to the high seismic activity associated with its close proximity to an active volcano.

In order to overcome these challenges, KSF, Inc. worked intimately with the contractor through all phases of design and construction.  We were responsible for the structural design of Kealakaha Stream Bridge and the construction engineering needed to build this complex structure.