Calexico US Port of Entry Building & Bridge, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Calexico, CA 2010
On April 5, 2010, a 7.2 major earthquake struck Calexico, California. Immediately following the earthquake, AQX being a member of the emergency response team arrived at the US Customs border site and performed a structural assessment of the damages to this two-story Port of Entry building and border bridge.
Port of Entry Building Evaluation – AQX’s work included reviews of the 1970 structural plans, 1995 seismic evaluation, and geotechnical hazard studies reports. AQX also conducted site investigations and testing. AQX found that the overall structural integrity of the building to be safe for occupancy and operations although with localized structural and cosmetic earthquake damages. Construction documents for the structural repair of the building were prepared by AQX.
Border Highway Bridge Evaluation – AQX provided structural evaluation of an existing one-bay border highway bridge built in 1996 with composite steel plate girders. The bridge consists of a 172’ long and 159’ wide dimension and 9 lanes. AQX’s work included an on-site investigation of structural conditions, reviews of original construction documents, and a structural assessment report of damages and recommendations for maintenance. AQX’s report concluded the structural conditions of the bridge to be inacceptable and the facility usable without any safety concerns. The report provided recommendations to restore the expansion joint gap and joint rubber material lost during the earthquake.