Villa Florida 2020

Villa Florida was the assigned site in Bolivia for travel in the 2019-2020 academic year.

Our chapter had the privilege to partner with students’ chapters from the University of

Toronto, University College London, and the University of Iowa. The process executed

to travel to Bolivia consisted of frequent contact with other student chapters, intricate

planning using the “review call” format, and accurate design checks with various

certified engineers from each school in contact. After thorough checks with all gathered

information on the Villa Florida site with elders and EIA staff the teams were set to

travel and construct the bridge on site.

Due to COVID-19, the planned travelers could not participate in onsite construction but

were instead able to safely participate in all construction aspects of the project virtually.

Despite unexpected changes in summer plans, EIA, as a national organization, made it

possible for students to experience the entire on-campus bridge design and preparation

process. The team worked diligently throughout the semester to produce a full, efficient

design and learned invaluable lessons regarding design methodology, teamwork, and

construction planning. The bridge was safely and successfully constructed in October

2020 by the EIA staff available. A Huge thank you to our amazing sponsors who stuck with us throughout the entire process - CBG Building Company, C.W. Strittmatter Inc, and Whiting Turner- it was your patience and dedication to the cause that made this bridge possible. The bridge crosses the Rio Paracaya river, which was previously impassable 90 days/year. This successful build provides greater access to the communities of Villa Florida, Waña Cagua, and La Villa, ultimately serving 250 residents.