Civil Engineer Recognized for Outstanding Design of New National Cemetery

SAN DIEGO - March 13, 2013 - PRLog -- San Diego, CA – Burkett & Wong Engineers recently received the “Outstanding Urban/Land Development” Project Award for the civil engineering design of Miramar National Cemetery, Phase I. The award was conferred by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Region 9 during a ceremony on March 6, 2013 held at Los Angeles’ Union Station. “We’re honored and thrilled to be recognized by our peers in the ASCE,” said William Templeton, the Principal-in-Charge of the project for Burkett & Wong Engineers. “To have other civil engineers recognize our firm’s work as the best land development project in California is a tremendous compliment.”

Miramar National Cemetery, owned by the Department of Veterans Affairs, is a 313-acre master planned cemetery located on Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. The first phase, which occupies 45 acres, has been completed and provides 11,500 grave sites, 4,500 in-ground cremation sites and 10,000 columbarium niches. When future phases are completed, the cemetery will be the resting place of 235,000 veterans. Templeton noted that, “Working on a project for those that serve this country is a privilege. Miramar National Cemetery is a national shrine.” Plaques on a marble memorial wall and an “Avenue of Flags” featuring 50 American flags that are lit every night, honor the fallen. In addition, the cemetery features “The Liberation Moment,” a seven ton, 15 foot statue of a prisoner of war emerging from captivity.

Unlike most military cemeteries which have contiguous burial grounds, Miramar National Cemetery’s burial grounds are arranged in clusters surrounded by native plant life and vernal pools. Both unique and challenging, the site consists of mesa and canyon topography, large stands of pristine coastal sage scrub, California Gnatcatcher habitat, and regionally significant concentrations of vernal pools containing the endangered San Diego Fairy Shrimp. A detailed vernal pool restoration plan (to offset impacts to vernal pools and the endangered San Diego Fairy Shrimp) and a detailed wetland habitat restoration plan were prepared to mitigate the impacts of development.

Challenges included documented and prescriptive easements controlled by multiple agencies for underground and overhead utilities crisscrossing the site, military flight paths and environmental mitigation reserves and setbacks.  Supporting infrastructure such as roads, parking, utilities, pump station and irrigation were also part of the project. Burkett & Wong Engineers provided civil and structural engineering, as well as surveying for the project Master Plan and full design and construction administration services for the first phase. Van Dyke Landscape Architects led the design team which included Helix Environmental, Mekus Tanager and Kanrad Engineering.

Burkett & Wong Engineers is a consulting design firm with offices located in San Diego and Las Vegas. Founded in 1971, the firm provides structural and civil engineering design services, land surveying, land planning, expert witness consultation and project administration. More than 11,000 projects have been completed for the public and private sectors throughout the Southwestern United States. For more information on Burkett & Wong Engineers, please visit www.burkett-wong.com.