The 2023 Senior Capstone course in civil and environmental engineering was taught by Joseph Wieser. To learn more about the civil and environmental engineering projects, please email cee@unr.edu.
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External advisors: Tim Echeverria, Westwood Professional Services; Keith Dennett, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Students: Tre Hershey, Christian Long, Hayden Moore, Henry Utecht
The Sierra Street Bridge is in poor condition and needs to be replaced to make traveling through downtown Reno safer. The plan is to remove the current bridge and replace it with a single-span steel girder bridge. Doing this will remove the pier in the middle, which will help reduce the effects of major storm events in the downtown area, and a full replacement will give the bridge a long design life with proper maintenance. Four subdisciplines will be incorporated in this project: hydrology, structural, geotechnical and transportation engineering. An analysis of all types of loads will be used to develop the size of the steel girders and to design the bridge deck. The foundation and retaining walls of the bridge will be designed based on geological reports of the surrounding area. Hydrology will be used to determine the flow through the river with and without piers. Lastly, a complete street with bike lanes and expanded sidewalks will be the major difference in design between the current and new street. This project will make all modes of transportation safer in the downtown area.
External advisors: Rowland Perez, CFBR Structural Group; Gokhan Pekcan, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Students: Zachary Grow, Trevor Kattelman, Eric Larson
Due to extensive change in population in the Reno area, the cost of living has increased substantially. This design of a student housing apartment would offer affordable prices along with public and private parking for both the community and students. Additional provided space for a park would open the area to recreational activities. This would drastically change the dynamic of how downtown Reno currently is perceived and would open it up to being more welcoming and environmentally friendly. The Oasis will be developed with a general basis for a soil report to determine suitability for the structure and if any measures would need to be taken to adjust the lot for the structure. Additionally, a full timber frame structure would be built on top of a concrete parking garage so that it will be structurally sound. The surrounding parking lot and additional traffic analysis also will provide further development in the project to see how implementation of this structure would affect nearby intersections and traffic flow.
External advisors: Jim Pringle, Stantec Consulting; Russell Wallace, RW Engineering; Keri Ryan, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Students: Nathan Barber, Sarah Madison, Jaycob Ponce, Brady Regan
The main objective of this project is to develop a multifamily residential community to supply affordable housing for the growing Reno population. Reno’s population is growing by about 2% annually, with an increasing median housing price of about $570,000. To combat this crisis, we will utilize duplexes for this project as they allow multiple units to exist on-site while allotting aspects of housing that most people enjoy (i.e., garages, yards, etc.). The design also will incorporate a focus on sustainability. To achieve this, we have plans to include timber that has been repurposed from the Caldor Fire, which supplements the affordability component because wood is inexpensive compared to other materials.
Structural is the first and most prominent engineering subdiscipline in the Idlewild Duplex Village design. The plans will include both lateral and vertical designs. PBMR Engineering also will display our expertise by including subdisciplines of land development and water resources. The land development plan will have a grading design, site layout and a utility plan. The water resources component will focus on water management and reuse within the site.
External advisors: Jon Lau, Reno Tahoe Airport Authority; Jim Pringle, Stantec Consulting; Hao Xu, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Students: Moeses Chavez, Nicholas Duenas, Cassi Schroeder, Jordan Schroeder
The Southeast Donner Single Family Housing Development is a proposed private subdivision in southeast Reno, north of South Meadows Parkway and west of Veterans Parkway. The development is expected to provide the neighborhood of Donner Springs with 180 new single-family homes and a living area for Reno's growing population. The expansion of large businesses in the Reno area, particularly tech corporations, is expected to increase the demand for housing. The purpose of this project is to coincide with ReImagine Reno, the city of Reno’s master plan, by improving housing affordability, improving the appearance of the area and promoting economic growth.
The project consists of a series of planning, designing and construction. Land development will be one of the main focuses of this project, as it plays a key role in the prosperity of many communities. This includes the design of streets, utilities and drainage as designated by the city of Reno and similar housing projects in the project’s vicinity. Existing contours will be utilized to maximize the use of the land. Planning a project that suffices both sustainability and housing diversity for the local community is the main goal.
External advisors: Nelson Pearson, Universal Engineering Services; Floriana Petrone, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Students: Juliana Capaul, Faith Clarke, Erik Else, Megan Xin
Steelix Engineering is designing a homeless shelter in Reno. The proposed project will act as a transitional facility to aid the homeless community in the area. The site will incorporate multiple sub-disciplines in civil engineering such as structural, geotechnical and water resources. The broad community goals of this project will provide shelter, food and mental health resources to help residents take the steps required to progress back into society.
The site will be located on the corner of Museum Drive and Mill Street. This facility will house approximately 200-250 residents with the ability to accommodate additional beds if needed. This project incorporates three two-story timber buildings and adapts dorm-style bedrooms with community bathrooms. On-site amenities such as a cafeteria, laundry rooms and recreational areas will be included. Green infrastructure components including garden boxes and solar panels will be incorporated as well. A water and sewer plan will be used to outline service connections to the building. Soil compaction and a recommended building pad will be designed for the site to provide a stable foundation.
External advisor: Katie Mason, Truckee Meadows Water Authority; Keith Dennett, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Students: Cole Demosthenes, Ethan Donovan, Trevor Oneal, Sergio Zermeno
The King's Landing Residential Development is to be constructed on the corner of Mount Rose Highway and Edmonton Drive in south Reno. The development features 15 single-family homes surrounding a loop of three streets connected by two knuckles with entrances and exits on Edmonton Drive. The development also features a centrally located ¾-acre park for future residents to enjoy. Stormwater runoff will be collected via two storm drains on either side of the road at the single low point of the site. The runoff will be directed to a ditch on the east side of the parcel and eventually to an existing ditch on the north side, where it then will be drained to existing facilities beneath Mount Rose Highway. The park will be primarily a grass field with a single shade structure housing tables and park benches. STEC Brothers Engineering will design a shade structure that will withstand wind, snow, rain and seismic loading, creating a safe space for residents to gather and enjoy themselves. King’s Landing, under the supervision and management of STEC Brothers Engineering, will be an extremely attractive neighborhood for the future residents.
External advisors: Nicole Castelino and Sheila Marquises, city of San Leandro, Calif.; Seri Park, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Students: Alek Henrickson, Javier Perez, Ofelia Ramirez, Reed Welsh
The 4th Street Bicycle Improvement Project is a rehabilitation and redesign of downtown Reno that aims to improve the safety of cyclists, pedestrians and other multimodal users that travel on Fourth Street. Fourth Street was chosen because of its access to the RTC bus station, to increase the mobility of people without vehicles and encourage multimodal transportation. Aside from that, there needs to be an increase in safety for cyclists as Reno has insufficient bike infrastructure, which can cause preventable fatalities. In order to help all sources of transportation, pedestrian mobility also was considered by adding street parking to allow easier access to downtown business. Fourth Street will be reduced to one lane each way, which will be supported by a traffic study conducted during the project, and have a two-way cycle track to separate vehicles from the vulnerable cyclist, with the added street parking being an additional barrier of safety.
External advisors: Cody Black, Shaw Engineering; Brett McElhaney, McElhaney Structural Engineers; Keri Ryan, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Students: Colton Dodge, Zach Flowers, Matt Morrison
The Whittell Forest and Wildlife Area (Whittell) is a living lab of forested mountain land in the Sierra Nevada, dedicated for research, instruction and community outreach. The project will provide infrastructure improvements to support research and instruction within the forest. The project includes a shade structure, yurts and a groundwater well with transmission main. The 36'-by-20' shade structure will include picnic benches for classes, researchers or community groups to meet and collaborate while visiting the area. The yurts will provide an overnight shelter for visitors as they currently camp out in tents near the proposed shade structure. The groundwater well and transmission main will provide a potable water source to support the future growth of the research station. The Whittell Project will provide civil, structural and water resources design for these improvements.
External advisors: Duke Duarte, Duarte Engineering; Will Ferreira, Manhard Consulting; Ramin Motamed, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Students: Cole Duarte, Samuel Meyerpeter, Jacob Pardini, Mark Sinnott
Reno is a growing city, and the price of housing in the area has been on a steady increase for a couple of years. Along with the housing costs going up, the city is experiencing a large influx of citizens from California and other states due to the opening of large industrial manufacturing plants and distribution centers. With both problems happening simultaneously, the Reno housing market has not been able to keep up. The Silver and Blue Duplex project designed by JCMS Engineering will create an efficient and affordable duplex housing system for low-income families in the downtown Reno area. The project will be in Midtown, just south of downtown Reno off Pine and Sinclair streets. The design of the duplex system will incorporate multiple civil engineering subdisciplines, including general civil, geotechnical and structural. JCMS Engineering will produce a complete site/grading plan, structural plan and calculation package for both the structure and foundation, as well as the geotechnical analysis of the site.
External advisors: Katrina Pascual, Nevada Department of Environmental Protection; Gokhan Pekcan, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Students: George Khoury, Ezekiel Lawrence, Ryan Madole, Grant Wager
This project aims to provide a fast and environmentally responsible solution to the housing deficit in the Reno-Sparks area. The project proposes the construction of a 150-unit, low-rise apartment complex on a site situated in Spanish Springs. Located just off the intersection of Galleria and Los Altos parkways, the approximately 8-acre site provides ample space for both housing and recreation. To facilitate a rapid construction schedule of under 180 days, the buildings will be constructed from prefabricated shipping containers on a modular interlocking system. Each container building will comprise of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments with private patios and nearby parking. Approximately 20% of the development space will provide a usable “green space” for outdoor activities, while freshwater demands will be reduced through an on-site gray water reuse system. The gray water reuse system will provide treatment for toilet flushing and subsoil irrigation supply with an estimated annual water savings of between 25% and 40%. Within walking distance of the project sits the large Spanish Springs commercial center and a nearby elementary school. To promote multiple commuting options, carbon emission reduction and active lifestyles, a multimodal transportation design also is provided in the project.
External advisors: Kyle Castle and Ashley Verling, Wood Rogers; Keith Dennett, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Students: Jose Cabrera, Nathan Hale, Dalia Marin, Brigida Rovarino,
Food deserts are areas where there is low access to fresh food due to lack of transportation or absence of grocery stores. They are a concern in the Reno area, with seven identified food desert districts. In addition to lacking sources of fresh food, the Reno area falls below the national average for recreational space. The Newberry Community Garden Project will mitigate those issues by providing recreational space and public greenhouses to grow crops. The project will include four greenhouses to provide fresh produce. The facility will be managed by a full-time staff member and community volunteers. Revenue to run the facility will be generated by crop sales and ticketed community events. The greenhouses will be surrounded by park space featuring native landscaping and a pond. The pond will function as both an attraction as well as a detention pond for stormwater management. The engineering team will provide plan sets to outline the site development including grading, utility plans, stormwater management and irrigation pipelines. Greenhouses will be irrigated using municipal water supplies. Once completed, the community garden will provide fresh produce and recreational space to residents of Sun Valley.
External advisors: Cody Purcell, Design Path Studio; Mike Holmes, professor emeritus of construction and design, TMCC
Students: Timon Farnaam, Nathan Palmer
The aim of our project is to relieve the housing crisis present in the greater Reno area. Our plan is to design a “barndominium” in Palomino Valley, a large rural area along Pyramid Highway northeast of Spanish Springs, for a similar or lower price than the housing prices in Reno. Barndominiums are barn-style buildings typically made from steel or wood for residential purposes. It is essentially a warehouse-style building on the outside and a traditional Sheetrock-walled home on the inside. It is much cheaper to build than a standard wood frame home which allows for a larger square footage for a lower cost. An added benefit is the large amount of land you can own rather than a small townhome in a crowded neighborhood. The project site we have chosen is a 41-acre lot with endless possibilities. The absence of a homeowners’ association (HOA) means you can build a custom home with no limitations other than Washoe County building code. Barndominiums typically aren’t seen within city limits and homeowners associated-controlled neighborhoods because of the strict regulations put in place to keep people’s homes from looking too different from one another. The more potential residents and future homeowners that we can convince to invest in property in Palomino Valley, the bigger the Palomino Valley area and surrounding Spanish Springs infrastructure will grow.
External advisors: Jimmy Hou, Wood Rogers; Ramin Motamed, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Students: Dylan Fisher, Ryan Gilbert, Maxwell Scarborough
Our project consists of building a pedestrian bridge into Idlewild park from the northern side of the river. This section of the park lacks immediate access for those who may wish to use its features. Also, the Booth Street Bridge is up to be demolished. That bridge serves as the nearest entrance to the park from the northern side of the river. In the creation of this bridge, we hope to better connect the community while providing alternate travel routes for bikes and pedestrians. A traffic analysis is needed to determine the impact of the Booth Street Bridge removal. This data will be used to help determine the total consequences of losing this bridge and the impact it may have in other areas. The pedestrian bridge will be a simple truss-style bridge spanning 250 feet long and 8 feet wide, using walkway sections in 10 feet segments. Due to the river, research into the soil properties and what other projects have been done in the area for foundations will be conducted. The foundation is designed to be a deep foundation using end-bearing piles or friction piles for support. To facilitate this project, we will be using geotechnical, structural and transportation engineering skills.
External advisors: Chris Roper, CFBR Structural Group; Keri Ryan, UNR College of Engineering Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Students: Ashton Aragon, Travis Hardy, Billy Grove, Marcos Lopez
With a growth in population for the Reno area there exists a need for recreation and entertainment for families and the community. Developed park spaces with multiple types of attractors can lend themselves as community hubs. Our project, The Idlewild Revitalization Project, addresses this need for space and recreation. Our intent is to provide a space for curiosity, play and leisure attributed to the building’s multi-use function as an “exploratorium” and café. We seek not just a technically sound proposal but a vision for how we can bring life to an existing space like Idlewild Park. While adding a structure to draw attention to a park space seems counterintuitive, our intent is to remain as non-obstructive as possible. The project is two low-rise, wood structures inserted adjacent to an existing playground. Major principles include minimizing footprint and environmental impact while integrating aspects of the modern age in a manner conducive to learning play.
External advisors: Tom Adams, Diversified Consulting Services; Keith Dennett, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Department
Students: Parker Armbrust, Luz De La Mora, Anthony Gonzalez, Jocelyne Perez
The Reno Oasis Water Park will be an all-encompassing tropical experience. The purpose of this project is to provide more outdoor activities to the city of Reno. Wild Island is currently the only outdoor theme park within the greater Reno area. To provide these activities, Diversity Engineer Co. will be designing two pool areas to accommodate guests. In addition to those pools, the water park will house multiple waterslides as well as a lazy river. This project will come together by combining aspects of both civil and environmental engineering. Utilizing facets of structural, transportation, hydraulic and water resources engineering, the Reno Oasis Water Park will be a collaborative effort. Through knowledge gained from years of school and work experience, Diversity Engineers Co. will develop a treatment system to treat and redistribute the water among the pools and attractions. Also included in the design will be a parking lot schematic designed by our engineering team to meet the capacity of 800 vehicles per day. Our structural engineering components will tie the entire project together, allowing us to provide a cohesive and immersive experience for the guests.
External advisors: Marissa Harned, Headway Transportation; Angie Hueftle, NCE Engineering & Environmental Services; Zong Tian, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Department
Students: Alexander Martinez, Aseef Quddus, Marcus Aldrin Reyes, Jorge Rivas
Re-Envisioning the South Veterans Parkway Corridor project seeks to study and provide a solution to a failing roundabout within the south Reno community. Multimodal improvements will be made to the corridor to increase the usability to different forms of traffic. The study looks at current and future traffic conditions of the corridor and will provide a basis for the redesign of the roundabout into a four-legged signalized intersection. Using the conclusions derived from the traffic study, the appropriate pavement will be selected for the climate and traffic the intersection will serve. The redesign will ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to provide safe pedestrian access. A bus route plan also will be proposed to better connect the communities that Veterans Parkway serves. The bus routes will include bus pullouts to further increase access while maintaining safety. Lastly, four traffic signals within the project bounds will be coordinated to improve traffic flow during peak hours and decrease average delay of vehicles. Together, this project will encompass transportation design, planning and operations to better improve movement and safety to all users of the South Veterans Parkway Corridor.
External advisors: Micah Laack and Timothy Russell, Lumos and Associates; Keith Dennett and David McCallen, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Students: Brayden Highline, Jessica Kneefel, Doug Reese, Alexander Silveira
This project intends to provide an alternative energy source for the California-Great Basin Region rather than using irreplaceable fossil fuels. With the United States net-zero emissions goal by 2050, this is a perfect opportunity to assist in that goal. This project also would help Nevada become a greener state; the state currently has renewable energy sources supplying 33% of Nevada’s renewable energy.
The Stampede Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Facility (SPSHF) utilizes the mechanics behind pumped storage facilities to generate energy that would then be distributed by the energy company. SHRK Engineering intends to use our expertise in water resources, land development, construction estimating and structural engineering to move this project forward. This facility will require an intake structure with coarse and fine screens; 16-inch pipe going from the intake to the pump house; a pump house that holds multiple pumps; and a reservoir. The pumps will operate between 6-8 hours a day during peak hours; the facility will operate during the spring and summer and will be closed during the fall and winter. The total cost for this project is estimated to be $23,400,000.
External advisors: Damon McAlister and Chuck Reno, Farr West Engineering; Eric Marchand, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Students: Arturo Medina, Aditya Prathap, Nura Tung
MPT Engineering — Team 18 is pleased to present the Raggio Food Court Plaza Project. Located off Raggio Parkway in northwest Reno, the team has proposed the construction of a single-story building with eight units intended to house food businesses, with open-air eating areas and pedestrian-friendly walkways. This food court plaza is in an optimal location to service both Truckee Meadows Community College as well as Sun Valley residents. We aim to stimulate Reno’s economy and provide job opportunities for TMCC students interested in the food service industry. The scope of this project will cover general civil, geotechnical, transportation and hydrological engineering. A grading and surface study will be performed to aid in cut-and-fill calculations to level out the site. Rudimentary foundation calculations will be rendered to prepare the site for the construction of the building. The team will develop a site layout outlining the major structures of the plaza, such as the parking lot, walkways and landscaping. The parking lot will be designed according to the anticipated capacity and local development codes. A stormwater management will consist of a runoff study and the design of a retention basin, along with the design of sewer and water utility lines.
External advisors: Eddy Quaglieri, Carson City Public Works; Lior Singer, Nevada Department of Environmental Protection; Keith Dennett, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Students: Patrick Dawson, Thomas Purvis, Logan Smedes
Water Boys Engineering is a group of three engineering students who focus on water resources engineering. The team understands the need for an upgraded water treatment facility in Carson City. Nevada’s state capital is expected to grow to a buildout of approximately 78,000 people by 2050. Carson City’s surface water treatment plant, known as Quill WTP, is designed to treat 4.6 million gallons per day (mgd) of water: however, it barely withstands treating 1 mgd. Carson City Public Works is in the process of designing a new treatment plant that will be able to treat 6.0 mgd given the quality of its raw water sources. Quill WTP treats drinking water from Ash Creek, Kings Creek and the Marlette Lake Water System (MLWS). Carson City plans to accrue additional water rights from the MLWS to supplement the water demand needed for buildout. The team is designing a new transmission system to withstand the additional water to be delivered from Marlette Lake. This involves a new pump to bring Marlette Lake water over the mountain to Hobart Reservoir, an intake design from Hobart Reservoir to a gravity-fed pipeline down to Ash Pond, and then gravity-fed pipeline from Ash Pond to Quill WTP.
External advisors: Paul Brown and Brent Roberts, Southwest Gas Company; Floriana Petrone, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Students: Cody Ebbe, Ryan Brandani, Ronald Flores, Grant Thomas
The Martis Creek dam project proposes the replacement of the current earthen dam with the construction of a new concrete gravity dam. Martis Creek is located in Truckee, Calif., east of the Truckee Tahoe Airport, which poses a threat to downstream communities. The current dam is classified as hazardous due to sizable seepage causing instability and decreased capacity. The failure of the dam would risk the lives and homes of the downstream communities. TDE Consulting aims to solve this problem with the construction of a concrete gravity dam. This new dam will provide recreation, safety and electricity to the people living near and those who visit.
TDE Consulting is providing an environmental analysis, a hydrological study, a geotechnical study and a structural analysis for the design of the dam. The environmental analysis will have a species study and an emissions analysis to reduce the ecological footprint of the project. The geotechnical report provides calculations for soil stresses and loads to ensure the dam will be stable, and a structural analysis will give the basis of design with every load the dam will have to withstand. In addition to this, the team will provide brief calculations for the hydroelectric power the turbines will produce.
External advisors: Veronica Chauvel, Miyamoto International; Joseph Wieser, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Students: Ryan Antolik, Laryssa Ikehara, Ben Lederman, Cameron Moore
The purpose of this project is to demolish and reconstruct the Arlington Bridge to allow safer passage across the Truckee River. Although the bridge has been maintained over the years, it is rated “poor,” structurally deficient and in need of repair. A soil analysis has been conducted to ensure the soil can withstand the demolition and reconstruction of the bridge. A water analysis was performed to evaluate the average flows and how much water volume is increased by removing the piers. A traffic study was conducted to determine the impact on vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists that utilize the bridge and how they will be impacted during construction along with determining if removing a northbound turn lane would be justifiable. Lastly, a structural analysis of the bridge was performed to ensure the new design can accommodate current and future traffic loads. The demonstration model will be a scaled design of the Northside Arlington bridge. The model will allow for two removable piers to showcase the new design and the difference in water levels with the removal of the piers. A flood demonstration will also be conducted to show how the pierless design performs with debris.
External advisors: Elizabeth Schlegel, KSN; Keith Dennett, UNR College of Engineering, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Students: Alyssa Balderamma, Mahkai Davis-Macias, Dani Pinto, Wyatt Watson
Our team is facilitating the design of an artificial whitewater course that meets 2028 Olympic regulations in the Los Angeles area. Our design will entail the land development, hydraulic calculations and structural design of the viewing bleachers. The aspects of land development that will be captured in our project include the site selection, a geotechnical analysis and a grading plan. Hydraulics will be integrated into our design via a channel and pump station, as well as water balance calculations. Lastly, we will incorporate structural design into our plan for the canoe slalom course. The viewing capacity is going to be approximately 10,000 people and will be constructed with reinforced concrete footings connected with steel beams, girders and columns. Two channels will be designed, one being an introductory/novice channel and another that meets Olympic and International Canoe Federation (ICF) standards for competition. The channels will be concrete-lined channels with plastic adjustable barriers to create hydraulic jumps. We intended to have our design become a membership-funded community asset for the greater LA area. We are going to develop an accurate model at a scale of 1” = 500’.
External advisors: Fred Hatcher, Q&D Construction; Eric Marchand, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Members: Omar Carillo, Alec Kenner, Mason Levy, Joshua Luers
The South Reno Community Gateway Project aims to improve the lack of community engagement in the south Reno area by creating a mixed-use community recreation center. The community center will be at Steamboat and Damonte Ranch parkways, just off Interstate I-580 / U.S. 395. The community center will provide increased accessibility to free resources and host community events, while also including local shops for small businesses. This project will encourage active and healthy lifestyles by providing a space for sporting events and personal training. For this project, Silver State Professionals (SSP) will be focusing on three sub-disciplines of civil engineering. Land development, traffic and transportation analysis, and water resources will be the basis of design. A site layout plan, grading plan, floor plan and takeoff analysis will be performed for land development. A stormwater runoff analysis of the site pre- and post-construction, storm drain design, open channel design and detention basin design will be performed for water resources. For traffic, SSP will be designing a new road for the site while incorporating different forms of transportation, as well as providing a traffic impact analysis.
External advisors: Anthony Yocca, Kimley-Horn; Eric Marchand, UNR College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Students: Aiden Lucia, Jody Paulsen, Edwin Casildo Rios, Jansen Williams
Whitaker Park needs renovation in order to address poor conditions, provide gathering areas within walking distance and to create more recreational spaces for the growing Reno community. The park is located on University Terrace and Washington Street near the University of Nevada, Reno, where a significant number of families and students reside. The park also includes a significant slope on the south side that would have to be graded accordingly when designing the proposed alternative. The Northern Nevada Engineers & Associates (NNEA) team is proposing a splash pad, shade structure and parking lot to provide residents with more water recreational spaces within the McCarran Loop. A nearby park with more recreational options would offer low-cost entertainment for all ages and meet the needs of the community. The following documents will be submitted for construction: civil plans with the overall layout, traffic study for proposed intersection and structural plans for the shade structure. The NNEA design scope will include such aspects as utility improvements, pavement design/analysis, transportation engineering, structural design, grading and drainage.
External advisors: Robert Corbin, DEI Engineers; Keith Dennett, UNR College of Engineering, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Students: Kaylee Allen, David Alvarez, Madison Clinger, Sergio Rodriguez
Truckee River Community Center and Park is a project dedicated to revitalizing the Truckee Meadows region. The goal of the development is to provide the Truckee Meadows region with three key components. The first is addressing the issue of homelessness and providing appropriate affordable transitional housing. The second is to give the community a space for gathering and outdoor activities. The third is to introduce a center market for local businesses and artists to help boost the region’s economy. The scope of this design is broken up into three subdisciplines: geotechnical, water resources and structural. The geotechnical report will set up the soil and seismic recommendations needed to create an accurate structural design. The structural report is the focus of our project and includes the vertical and lateral design of the multi-use building. Water resources and land development is used to evaluate the surrounding site and park area through a grading plan and preliminary hydraulic analysis.
