Bridging the Gap: Your Connection to Engineering Services

The Bridge Design Academy For New Bridge Engineers

Are you interested in learning how to design bridges in an interactive, hands-on curriculum led by bridge design experts? The Division of Engineering Services offers an innovative Bridge Design Academy designed to develop highly knowledgeable, experienced, professionals prepared to lead the state's efforts in designing safe and reliable bridges critical in providing a transportation network that serves all people and respects the environment.

The Academy is a seven-week course taught by specialists in an interactive, hands-on classroom setting. This course covers the significant topics of bridge design: layout and surveys, loads, reinforced concrete, prestressed (pre-tensioned and post-tensioned) concrete, steel, substructure, foundations, seismic concerns, detailing and plan sheets, earth-retaining systems, project delivery, environmental engineering, planning, accelerated bridge construction, quality and risk management, internal and external customers, and quantities and estimates.

The final week of the Academy is dedicated to a capstone project, where student teams evaluate various bridge alternatives suitable for specific site conditions. Subsequently, each team presents its bridge-type recommendations to their classmates, instructors, and management. The objective of the capstone project is to foster collaboration and tie bridge design concepts into a real-life bridge project.

This program is a continuous, fully inclusive academy with classroom assignments, team-building activities, a capstone project, a graduation ceremony attended by management, a barbecue celebration, and numerous additional activities.

The Caltrans Bridge Design Academy has benefited thousands of engineers.

A recent student recalled, "My experience at the Bridge Design Academy felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in a crash course in bridge design that most engineers covet taking. Having designed a couple of dozen bridges while working in the private sector, I have a solid background in bridge design, yet I still learned a lot from each class. Each design topic includes a class activity reinforcing each session's advanced lesson. I enjoyed that the classes were taught by multiple practicing engineers. It was nice of them to take the time off their daily task to share and teach the skills of the trade. Developing a network with fellow students and getting to know most of the subject matter experts to collaborate with later when complex design issues arise also helped me as a designer."