The Region
Located in the Chuquisaca Department in the south of Bolivia, the community of Mojocoya consists primarily of farmers of corn, potatoes and wheat. Most residents rely on safe access to markets to support their families. However, for more than 200 days a year during the rainy season, these residents, including more than 100 school-aged children, face the difficult decision of whether or not they should attempt to cross the Rio Lajas to reach critical resources. In addition to markets, they must also cross the river to reach the local school, health services, the local municipality as well as local sporting and cultural events.
While many families make the decision to forgo medical attention or keep children home from school when the river is dangerous to cross, attempts to cross the flooded river have caused many serious injuries during the past two years. The new footbridge that the team constructed will provide safe and consistent access to essential community resources.
The Project
To help students get to school and allow residents to access markets and other vital resources year-round, our 10-person team, three Bridges to Prosperity (B2P) team members and the local community worked together to build a 246-foot suspension bridge over 10 working days.
The first day of construction presented a formidable challenge – pulling and setting four, one-ton bridge cables down a steep river cliff, through the river, and then back up another slope on the other side. This construction task required support from the local community, bilingual communication and a tremendous amount of coordinated hard labor. The Michael Baker team and the community came together in the end to accomplish the task and set a strong foundation for the rest of the build.
The team overcame the initial communication barrier to work as a cohesive unit to move hundreds of rocks, set the sag of the bridge cables, manually bend steel bars, paint and place the cross beams and decking, pour concrete approach slabs, and install protective fencing along both sides of the bridge.
Our Impact
To commemorate the opening of the bridge, the community of Mojocoya and residents from the neighboring communities gathered for an inauguration celebration. It was a surreal and incredibly rewarding moment for our team to witness the schoolchildren cross the bridge for the first time. Realizing the life-changing benefits that these communities will reap from this bridge made the nearly two weeks of hard work worth it.
Knowing that the community of Mojocoya had advocated for a safe and reliable crossing over the Rio Lajas for more than 10 years, we were so grateful to have been entrusted with delivering the bridge that will ensure safety and access to economic opportunity for more than 650 residents all year long.
Kate Maker is the Civil/Highway Technical Manager in Michael Baker’s Cambridge, Mass., office with 15 years of experience designing and constructing infrastructure projects, with a focus on transportation.
Kate’s primary focus is on delivering projects that will make a positive impact on the quality of life for residents. This means providing safe, convenient, connected places for people of all ages and abilities to interact with the built environment. Kate continually seeks to incorporate sustainable principles on her projects and looks for creative ways to reduce our carbon footprint.
In addition to trying to make a positive impact through her work, Kate is an active volunteer in her community. She has organized several charity events, including beach, river and neighborhood clean-ups, clothing and food drives, STEM events, preparing meals at the Ronald McDonald House, and volunteering at food banks.
What does this experience mean to you?
I became a civil engineer to make important and lasting infrastructure improvements. Traveling to Bolivia to build a bridge for a community in need was a deeply meaningful experience that fulfilled my passion to give back to others.
Miguel Angel Avalos serves as an Engineer-in-Training for a wide variety of public and private development projects with the Surface Water department in Michael Baker’s Carlsbad, Calif., office. He assists in all facets of plan design and production, including preparing grading, drainage and street improvement plans. He has experience in storm drain design; stormwater quality management and BMP design; floodplain management; and hydrologic and hydraulic analysis.
Although born in Los Angeles, Miguel grew up in Michoacán, Mexico. His family moved to the United States when he was 12 years old. He attended his local community college before completing his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering at San Diego State University. Miguel lives an active lifestyle and enjoys sports and being outdoors. In his free time, you can find him exploring new places, playing futbol, hiking, or taking a dip at the beach.
What have you learned from working with the locals?
The local engineers, foremen and laborers each had something new to teach me. I am most grateful for the lessons in selflessness and dedication. With their unhindered commitment to the construction of the bridge, the locals inspired the team day after day.
Rasha Jasim is an Engineer-In-Training in Michael Baker’s Phoenix office with nearly five years of experience in structural engineering. She has experience in bridge design, analysis, load rating and inspection, as well as design of earth-retaining structures.
Rasha was born in Baghdad, Iraq, as the youngest of six children. She started learning English in fifth grade and was determined to learn to speak it fluently after the events of the Iraq war in April of 2003, so that she could speak to soldiers walking around her neighborhood.
During high school, Rasha’s older brother saw her passion for math and science and taught her how to use AutoCAD. In 2009, Rasha came to the United States and studied civil engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington where she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering in 2015. She also obtained a Master of Engineering degree in Structures and Applied Mechanics a year later while working full-time at Michael Baker. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, cooking middle eastern food and watching movies.
How did you feel when you walked across the completed bridge for the first time?
Crossing the completed bridge was a surreal experience. When I looked at every board, every steel beam, every bar that we bent, every gauge wire that we cut, I remembered how exhausting the work days were, but seeing the community’s reaction made it all worth it.
Susan Pomerleau is a Transportation Engineer in Michael Baker’s Santa Ana, Calif., office. With more than 17 years of industry experience, Susan has worked primarily on roadway and trail design projects for numerous clients, including the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and Riverside County Parks.
Susan has a passion for helping others: at home, at the office and in her local community. Since her children were young, she has found meaningful ways to volunteer her time. Whether through assisting teachers in her kids’ classrooms, helping with Girl Scout and Boy Scout activities, donating her time at food pantries, homeless shelters, and women’s shelters. Susan has genuinely loved and appreciated the opportunities she’s had to give back to her community.
In her free time, Susan enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, enjoying sunsets at the beach and mountain biking. She has traveled to Europe, Canada and across the United States. Her family enjoys camping, water sports, skiing, snowboarding and hiking.
How did you feel when you walked across the bridge for the first time?
During construction, I was so focused on each individual task. When I finally walked across the bridge for the first time, it was with pure awe and a genuine sense of accomplishment. It was amazing to recognize that our team built a 250-foot-long pedestrian bridge in such a short amount of time.
Pedro Arias is a Civil Associate – Land Development in Michael Baker’s San Diego office. In this role, he prepares technical designs, including plans, specifications and estimates for traffic and land development projects. He also has assisted in a wide range of complex field investigations and infrastructure projects.
Pedro was born in Nayarit, Mexico, in the municipality of Compostela. At the age of 11, his family of seven moved to the United States in search of better educational and economic opportunities. As a student at San Diego State University, Pedro was involved with school events, professional organizations and community volunteer efforts.
What experiences from the trip will stick with you for the rest of your life?
Our interactions with the children of the community were the highlight of the trip. Their joy was infectious and seeing their happiness at the bridge opening ceremony was so rewarding. Knowing that the work that we do can positively impact these young lives is immensely gratifying.
Sean Abel is an Ecosystem Restoration and Water Resources Engineer in Michael Baker’s Denver office. He has experience in stream restoration design, hydraulic and stormwater management design, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling and stormwater master plans.
Most of Sean’s work has focused on flood recovery projects in Boulder County, an area which was heavily impacted by major flooding in 2013. Through this work, he has been able to connect with citizens who were present during the floods and work to design a stream restoration project to address their concerns.
Sean has volunteered throughout college and his professional career, including science mentorships and working with ASCE and numerous other volunteer groups. Outside of work, he enjoys snowboarding, hiking, camping and mountain biking.
What is it like building a bridge in Bolivia versus building a bridge in the U.S.?
The bridge-building process in Bolivia required a lot more manual labor than in the U.S. The local engineers devised creative ways to build a bridge with a small budget and limited resources. Working with the locals gave me a new appreciation for the hard work and determination it takes to make a project like this a success.
Tim Newgard is a Bridge Engineer in Michael Baker’s Milwaukee office. He has four years of experience in bridge engineering and has worked on a number of large and complex transportation projects across the United States.
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Tim received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He regularly volunteers during the week with numerous mentoring and tutoring programs in the Milwaukee community. He coaches a summer youth baseball team, teaches literacy skills to refugees, and provides tutoring and mentoring services to students in Milwaukee public schools. Outside of work and volunteering, Tim enjoys biking, camping and reading.
Why did you want to be a part of this experience?
I wanted to be a part of this experience to help those abroad and broaden my perspective on other cultures. Spending two weeks to build a bridge that will serve the community of Mojocoya for years to come has helped reinforce my belief in the importance of giving back to others.
Stephen Ross is the South Carolina Structures Manager, based in Michael Baker’s Columbia, S.C., office responsible for structures operations in the State. He began his career at Michael Baker as an intern and progressed in responsibility to a design engineer, project engineer, project manager and ultimately an operations manager over his 16-year career. He has experience in both design-build and design-bid-build projects in South Carolina and across the Southeast Region.
Stephen was born and raised along with his older sister in Columbia, where he and his entire family still reside. He attended the University of South Carolina and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. He continued his education while working full-time and completed a Master of Engineering degree at the University of South Carolina in 2012.
Stephen enjoys a variety of outdoor activities, including water skiing, snow skiing, hunting, fishing, camping and golfing. He and his wife both enjoy being active in their church and volunteering to give back to their community.
What have you learned from working with the locals?
The local community taught us the meaning of hard work, dedication and appreciation. This community had been awaiting the completion of this bridge for over a decade and were truly appreciative that we were there to help. Their effort was inspiring and invaluable, truthfully it was the only reason we were able to finish ahead of schedule as a team.
Joe Strange is a Senior Designer in Michael Baker’s Virginia Beach, Va., office with 32 years of engineering experience, with a primary focus on roadway and bridge design. He began his career as a board drafter and transitioned to using AutoCAD to design roadways, drainage systems, bridges, waterlines, sewer lines and railroads.
Joe serves as a deacon within his fellowship. He has served many summers as a camp counselor and camp shepherd in Schwenksville, Pa., for children ages eight to 13. His faith has inspired him to look for opportunities like Bridges to Prosperity to serve those in need and step outside his comfort zone. Outside of work, Joe enjoys hiking, practicing yoga and traveling.
How did you feel when you walked across the completed bridge for the first time?
Seeing the community and students walk across the bridge for the very first time filled me with great joy. The moment reflected the beauty of Bolivia, its people and culture.
Mary Jo Hamman is Office Executive for Michael Baker’s Indianapolis, Indiana, office overseeing more than 25 team members and managing a broad range of transportation projects, daily operations and business development efforts.
Prior to joining Michael Baker, Ms. Hamman worked as a consulting engineer for 17 years with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). In that position, she was responsible for managing hundreds of projects, including highway improvements such as bridge replacements, road reconstruction and widening, and new highway construction.
What does this experience mean to you?
While we are entrusted with improving infrastructure in our communities at the local, state and federal levels, it was gratifying to make a difference for the community of Mojocoya.
Kate Maker is the Civil/Highway Technical Manager in Michael Baker’s Cambridge, Mass., office with 15 years of experience designing and constructing infrastructure projects, with a focus on transportation.
Kate’s primary focus is on delivering projects that will make a positive impact on the quality of life for residents. This means providing safe, convenient, connected places for people of all ages and abilities to interact with the built environment. Kate continually seeks to incorporate sustainable principles on her projects and looks for creative ways to reduce our carbon footprint.
In addition to trying to make a positive impact through her work, Kate is an active volunteer in her community. She has organized several charity events, including beach, river and neighborhood clean-ups, clothing and food drives, STEM events, preparing meals at the Ronald McDonald House, and volunteering at food banks.
What does this experience mean to you?
I became a civil engineer to make important and lasting infrastructure improvements. Traveling to Bolivia to build a bridge for a community in need was a deeply meaningful experience that fulfilled my passion to give back to others.
Miguel Angel Avalos serves as an Engineer-in-Training for a wide variety of public and private development projects with the Surface Water department in Michael Baker’s Carlsbad, Calif., office. He assists in all facets of plan design and production, including preparing grading, drainage and street improvement plans. He has experience in storm drain design; stormwater quality management and BMP design; floodplain management; and hydrologic and hydraulic analysis.
Although born in Los Angeles, Miguel grew up in Michoacán, Mexico. His family moved to the United States when he was 12 years old. He attended his local community college before completing his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering at San Diego State University. Miguel lives an active lifestyle and enjoys sports and being outdoors. In his free time, you can find him exploring new places, playing futbol, hiking, or taking a dip at the beach.
What have you learned from working with the locals?
The local engineers, foremen and laborers each had something new to teach me. I am most grateful for the lessons in selflessness and dedication. With their unhindered commitment to the construction of the bridge, the locals inspired the team day after day.
Rasha Jasim is an Engineer-In-Training in Michael Baker’s Phoenix office with nearly five years of experience in structural engineering. She has experience in bridge design, analysis, load rating and inspection, as well as design of earth-retaining structures.
Rasha was born in Baghdad, Iraq, as the youngest of six children. She started learning English in fifth grade and was determined to learn to speak it fluently after the events of the Iraq war in April of 2003, so that she could speak to soldiers walking around her neighborhood.
During high school, Rasha’s older brother saw her passion for math and science and taught her how to use AutoCAD. In 2009, Rasha came to the United States and studied civil engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington where she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering in 2015. She also obtained a Master of Engineering degree in Structures and Applied Mechanics a year later while working full-time at Michael Baker. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, cooking middle eastern food and watching movies.
How did you feel when you walked across the completed bridge for the first time?
Crossing the completed bridge was a surreal experience. When I looked at every board, every steel beam, every bar that we bent, every gauge wire that we cut, I remembered how exhausting the work days were, but seeing the community’s reaction made it all worth it.
Susan Pomerleau is a Transportation Engineer in Michael Baker’s Santa Ana, Calif., office. With more than 17 years of industry experience, Susan has worked primarily on roadway and trail design projects for numerous clients, including the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and Riverside County Parks.
Susan has a passion for helping others: at home, at the office and in her local community. Since her children were young, she has found meaningful ways to volunteer her time. Whether through assisting teachers in her kids’ classrooms, helping with Girl Scout and Boy Scout activities, donating her time at food pantries, homeless shelters, and women’s shelters. Susan has genuinely loved and appreciated the opportunities she’s had to give back to her community.
In her free time, Susan enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, enjoying sunsets at the beach and mountain biking. She has traveled to Europe, Canada and across the United States. Her family enjoys camping, water sports, skiing, snowboarding and hiking.
How did you feel when you walked across the bridge for the first time?
During construction, I was so focused on each individual task. When I finally walked across the bridge for the first time, it was with pure awe and a genuine sense of accomplishment. It was amazing to recognize that our team built a 250-foot-long pedestrian bridge in such a short amount of time.
Pedro Arias is a Civil Associate – Land Development in Michael Baker’s San Diego office. In this role, he prepares technical designs, including plans, specifications and estimates for traffic and land development projects. He also has assisted in a wide range of complex field investigations and infrastructure projects.
Pedro was born in Nayarit, Mexico, in the municipality of Compostela. At the age of 11, his family of seven moved to the United States in search of better educational and economic opportunities. As a student at San Diego State University, Pedro was involved with school events, professional organizations and community volunteer efforts.
What experiences from the trip will stick with you for the rest of your life?
Our interactions with the children of the community were the highlight of the trip. Their joy was infectious and seeing their happiness at the bridge opening ceremony was so rewarding. Knowing that the work that we do can positively impact these young lives is immensely gratifying.
Sean Abel is an Ecosystem Restoration and Water Resources Engineer in Michael Baker’s Denver office. He has experience in stream restoration design, hydraulic and stormwater management design, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling and stormwater master plans.
Most of Sean’s work has focused on flood recovery projects in Boulder County, an area which was heavily impacted by major flooding in 2013. Through this work, he has been able to connect with citizens who were present during the floods and work to design a stream restoration project to address their concerns.
Sean has volunteered throughout college and his professional career, including science mentorships and working with ASCE and numerous other volunteer groups. Outside of work, he enjoys snowboarding, hiking, camping and mountain biking.
What is it like building a bridge in Bolivia versus building a bridge in the U.S.?
The bridge-building process in Bolivia required a lot more manual labor than in the U.S. The local engineers devised creative ways to build a bridge with a small budget and limited resources. Working with the locals gave me a new appreciation for the hard work and determination it takes to make a project like this a success.
Tim Newgard is a Bridge Engineer in Michael Baker’s Milwaukee office. He has four years of experience in bridge engineering and has worked on a number of large and complex transportation projects across the United States.
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Tim received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He regularly volunteers during the week with numerous mentoring and tutoring programs in the Milwaukee community. He coaches a summer youth baseball team, teaches literacy skills to refugees, and provides tutoring and mentoring services to students in Milwaukee public schools. Outside of work and volunteering, Tim enjoys biking, camping and reading.
Why did you want to be a part of this experience?
I wanted to be a part of this experience to help those abroad and broaden my perspective on other cultures. Spending two weeks to build a bridge that will serve the community of Mojocoya for years to come has helped reinforce my belief in the importance of giving back to others.
Stephen Ross is the South Carolina Structures Manager, based in Michael Baker’s Columbia, S.C., office responsible for structures operations in the State. He began his career at Michael Baker as an intern and progressed in responsibility to a design engineer, project engineer, project manager and ultimately an operations manager over his 16-year career. He has experience in both design-build and design-bid-build projects in South Carolina and across the Southeast Region.
Stephen was born and raised along with his older sister in Columbia, where he and his entire family still reside. He attended the University of South Carolina and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. He continued his education while working full-time and completed a Master of Engineering degree at the University of South Carolina in 2012.
Stephen enjoys a variety of outdoor activities, including water skiing, snow skiing, hunting, fishing, camping and golfing. He and his wife both enjoy being active in their church and volunteering to give back to their community.
What have you learned from working with the locals?
The local community taught us the meaning of hard work, dedication and appreciation. This community had been awaiting the completion of this bridge for over a decade and were truly appreciative that we were there to help. Their effort was inspiring and invaluable, truthfully it was the only reason we were able to finish ahead of schedule as a team.
Joe Strange is a Senior Designer in Michael Baker’s Virginia Beach, Va., office with 32 years of engineering experience, with a primary focus on roadway and bridge design. He began his career as a board drafter and transitioned to using AutoCAD to design roadways, drainage systems, bridges, waterlines, sewer lines and railroads.
Joe serves as a deacon within his fellowship. He has served many summers as a camp counselor and camp shepherd in Schwenksville, Pa., for children ages eight to 13. His faith has inspired him to look for opportunities like Bridges to Prosperity to serve those in need and step outside his comfort zone. Outside of work, Joe enjoys hiking, practicing yoga and traveling.
How did you feel when you walked across the completed bridge for the first time?
Seeing the community and students walk across the bridge for the very first time filled me with great joy. The moment reflected the beauty of Bolivia, its people and culture.
Mary Jo Hamman is Office Executive for Michael Baker’s Indianapolis, Indiana, office overseeing more than 25 team members and managing a broad range of transportation projects, daily operations and business development efforts.
Prior to joining Michael Baker, Ms. Hamman worked as a consulting engineer for 17 years with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). In that position, she was responsible for managing hundreds of projects, including highway improvements such as bridge replacements, road reconstruction and widening, and new highway construction.
What does this experience mean to you?
While we are entrusted with improving infrastructure in our communities at the local, state and federal levels, it was gratifying to make a difference for the community of Mojocoya.
