Project Team:  Erin Terpstra, Aaron Storm, Conrad Moulton, Ryan Ollerich, Josh Underberg, & Brian Vilhauer

Faculty Advisor:  Dr. Arden Sigl, P.E.

Sponsors:  Ted Eggebraaten, Brookings County; Hadly Eisenbeisz, Bridge Section, SDDOT; Doug Wessel, P.E., Banner & Associates; Kent Johnson, P.E., Banner and Associates

In December of 2004 the oldest bridge in the county, built in 1916, collapsed.  The bridge was located on the Big Sioux River three miles North and one mile East of Bruce, SD. The bridge collapsed under the weight of an overloaded 36.5 ton semi truck trailer, which was more than three times the bridge’s posted weight restriction. 

The scope of this project is to design a new bridge in conformance with current construction standards.    Several different aspects were taken into consideration when selecting the new bridge design including hydraulic analysis, cost estimates, site restrictions, and structural capabilities of each alternative bridge design.  A hydraulic analysis was performed in order to determine the flow characteristics of the Big Sioux River at this location.  Cost estimates were done to find the most economical replacement.  Site restrictions included the previous width and length of bridge, current road conditions, and the river cross section to be worked with.  By taking structural capabilities into consideration, some bridge designs were eliminated due to the length of the bridge required for the site.

After gathering these data a specific bridge design was selected to best meet all of the requirements.  A structural analysis of the selected bridge was performed to determine member adequacy and pier placement within the structure of the bridge.  The soil type and allowable bearing pressure were used to determine the size and depth of the bridge piers.  Plans and specifications were developed to construct the bridge in accordance with engineering standards.

Brookings Soccer Complex Addition

Project Team:  Lucas Dietterle, Eric Hanson, Matt Ireland, Craig Mizera

Faculty Advisor:  Dr. Suzette Burckhard

Sponsors:  Carey Bretsch, Civil Design Inc.; Allyn Frerichs, Brookings Park and Recreation

The Brookings Park and Recreation Department is proposing an addition to the Fishback Soccer Complex in Brookings, SD.  The addition would meet or exceed the future demand of the current facility.  The scope of the project was to develop and design a potential addition to the existing soccer complex.  This addition was designed to aesthetically match the existing complex and also provide access to existing and proposed fields.

                The preliminary design phase consisted of choosing the number and type of fields based on demand, addressing the need of a parking facility, and analyzing the demand for additional infrastructure and support facilities.  It was then determined that three additional fields were needed along with additional parking and support facilities.  This phase largely consisted of meeting with city officials and advisors to gather information in preliminary design.

In the final phase a full layout of the additional fields, parking, infrastructure, and support facilities was performed.  Three crowned fields were chosen at staggered elevations.  This layout was based on the topography of the land, a drainage study, a cut and fill analysis, and the current alignment of the existing fields.  The parking facility was designed to meet the additional demand of the new fields and current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.   The layout of utilities was designed in compliance with city codes and standards combined with the best economical alternative.

This project provided first hand experience for the group incorporating aspects of Municipal, Environmental, and Transportation Engineering.  It also increased the groups’ knowledge in various software packages utilized in engineering design, while increasing our ability to communicate and interact with professionals in the industry.

Harding Hall Parking Lot

Project Team:  Christina Bennett, Lucas Hoover, Kyle Smith

Faculty Advisor:  Dr. Ali Selim, PE

Sponsors:  Keith Skogstad, SDSU Student Union; Carey Bretsch, PE, Civil Design Inc.

Currently there are three separate parking lots located south of Harding Hall and east of Crothers Engineering Hall.  These three lots are separated by vegetation and by a retaining wall.  The parking lots are assigned for student parking (SC) as well as for faculty parking (FE).  The FE lot is composed of concrete while the two SC lots are mainly gravel with isolated sections of asphalt and concrete.  The graveled parking lots have numerous potholes and ruts which cause drainage problems and create a hassle for people that make their way across these lots to campus. 

                 Our proposed design is to incorporate the three lots into one lot.  This design presented some key concerns.  The largest concern was the drainage of the parking lots, as without adequate drainage future work would continue to experience problems.  Additional storm sewers were unwanted therefore the drainage will be gravity flow.  By aid of a topographical survey the flow was directed out onto the streets.  Another concern was the retaining wall which separates the concrete FE lot from the two graveled SC lots.  To deal with this, three design alternatives were examined with either full or partial removal of the wall.  Parking configurations which were made to maximize parking spots and simplify traffic flow through the lot.

Once the drainage, retaining wall and parking configuration concerns were resolved, additional topics were considered.  These included: utility relocation, excavation, clear and grub of vegetation, base course material, curb and gutter, asphalt concrete, pavement markings, lighting and landscaping.  These topics were dealt with by use of quantity calculations.   A cost estimate was prepared to complete the engineering analysis.

Project Team:  Ryan Bjorum, Michelle Carter, Jess Greenwood, Stephanie Neises, Jared Olson, Sean Sieler

Faculty Advisor:  Dr. Suzette Burckhard

Sponsors: Physical Plant, SDSU, Dean Kattleman and Michelle Sage

This project entails a possible solution to a problematic drainage channel running through the northeast corner of South Dakota State University’s campus.   A baseball field has recently been constructed on the site and further improvement is expected.   The plans for developing this area have initiated concerns about the adequacy of storm water drainage.  Storm water from approximately 820 acres is collected in a channel and eventually drains into Six Mile Creek.  Currently the water follows a meandering path and is slowed by thick vegetation. 

A plan to construct an articulated concrete block channel and redirect the water around the proposed sports complex is recommended to solve the drainage problems.  Design peak discharge was calculated using the Rational equation.  Appropriate dimensions for the channel were then determined by Manning’s equation.  Use of articulated concrete block mats will significantly reduce the time and money involved in construction.  In addition, this material allows future vegetation growth.  Rerouting the path of the storm water will result in the disturbance of an existing wetland.  Therefore, in order to construct this channel, a permit required by Section 404 of the Clean Water Act will need to be obtained from the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Moody County Rural Commercial Enterprise

Project Team:  Joe Munson, Jason Petersen, Jason Zemlicka

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Nadim Wehbe, PE

Sponsors:  Suzette Burckhard, Tim Burckhard

The Moody Rural County Commercial Enterprise project consisted of submittal of plans and specifications to a client for a building that will be used for the production and resale of wine.  The building site is in Moody County on a land owned by Tim and Suzette Burckhard.  The Burckhard family has been making wine as a hobby and wanted to look at possibly constructing a building on their property to produce and market various flavors of wine.  Aspects of the project included: consulting with the client, site selection, cost estimating, soil analysis for the purpose of foundation design, site survey, utilities design, building design, and at last submitting the final plans and specifications for construction.

The project began in January of 2004 and will be completed in November of 2005.  The first step was to consult with the clients.  Many different construction sites were picked out and evaluated to determine the best site for construction.  Cost estimates were done, and this along with the site selection was submitted to the client for approval.  Design work then followed.  The soil was tested in order to design a solid foundation.  A site survey was done to figure cuts and fills of soils and to determine the exact layout of the building on the site.  The building was then designed.  A specification manual was written and a complete set of plans were drawn.  The plans and specifications will be presented to the client and will contain all the information needed to construct the commercial enterprise.