Ryan ChartrandA group of six architectural engineering students sought to do something different for their senior project. Rather than an ordinary paper model project, they found a way to give back to San Luis Obispo County, the place they’ve called home for the past five years.
The seniors pulled their skills together to engineer and construct a bridge worth $100,000 at the Dairy Creek Golf Course run by the county.
“We wanted to do something that had a long-lasting effect. We really wanted to leave an impression,” said Ryan Pursley, architectural engineering senior and project manager.
The bridge, which has a unique and aesthetically appealing double curve, two-span design, crosses a tributary creek and will protect an environmentally sensitive habitat.
The San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors is going to honor the students with a resolution of recognition and formally receive the bridge next week.
“It’s nice to know that people are recognizing all of the hard work we have done,” Pursley said.
Pursley and the five other seniors (Josh DeVine, Chris Harris, Billy Janhunen, Paul Roberts and Steven Tawresey) spent 200 hours of engineering, 2,000 hours of construction, and over one year completing the bridge.
“The most challenging part was just organizing all of the different schedules,” Pursley said. “We were out there every weekend and sometimes even during the week.”
The students had to study welding and use their acquired skills in structural design, concrete formwork, steel fabrication and landscaping to complete the construction of the bridge.
The bridge is located in an area of the golf course that is currently off the beaten path, which was necessary in order to prevent the golf course from being shut down during construction. Dairy Creek plans to arrange the course so that the bridge becomes more useful and incorporated in the future.
“It’s a nice looking bridge,” Dairy Creek employee Terry Deming said. “Right now it’s there for those of us who can’t hit the ball straight and who walk instead of driving carts. It’ll be really useful in the future when they rearrange the golf course.”
The group funded the bridge by raising over $4,000 and through a variety of donations. They received $5,000 from PDM, $1,000 from KPFF Consulting Engineers and $4,000 from local business. They were also able to purchase their lumber and steel at cost, which saved thousands of dollars.
Dairy Creek Golf Course was chosen as the site for the group’s senior project after they checked out a variety of sites, including the county-owned land right next to course.
Dairy Creek is the newest of three golf courses currently run by the county and prides itself on being environmentally friendly. The course is located between San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay on Dairy Creek Road.