The UC San Diego Mesa Housing Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge, in a long-standing San Diego tradition, links two mesas over a natural canyon. This nearly level bridge provides a pedestrian and bicycle shortcut from the greatly expanded Mesa Housing neighborhood to the heart of the campus while providing a prospect to the environment on which it rests.
The bridge is a study in contrasts: heavy/light, solid/diaphanous, robust/delicate, and directional/wandering. The play between these is intended to make each of these characteristics more present. It allows for prompt access and lingering simultaneously. The bridge transitions from its straight mid-span to the natural canyon landform as it transitions into the mesas.
The bridge was designed with Kleinfelder as engineer and Kimley-Horn as landscape architect. The bridge was built by Hensel Phelps and Granite Construction in 2020.
Awards
Orchid Award for Urban Planning from San Diego Architectural Foundation