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THOMAS R. KUESEL
1926–2010
elected in 1977
“For innovations in the design of long-span bridges, immersed tunnel-tubes,
and other special transit structures, and contributions to seismic design
of underground structures.”
By JaMes l. laMMie
T HOMAS ROBERT KUESEL, an internationally recognized
authority on tunnel and bridge engineering and a former
partner and director at Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), died on
february 17, 2010, at the age of 83 after a lengthy illness.
during a 43-year career with PB, Tom contributed to the
design of more than 130 bridges and more than 140 tunnels
in 36 states and on six continents. as one of the great PB
engineers of the last half-century, he was often recognized
for his unique and innovative solutions to structural and
underground challenges.
Tom was born on July 30, 1926. He graduated from yale
University in 1946 with highest honors in civil engineering at
the age of 19 and received a master of civil engineering from
yale in 1947 at age 20. He was a member of Tau Beta Pi, the
national engineering honor society.
In 1947 he joined Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas
as a junior engineer and worked his way up to chairman of
the board in 1984. He retired in 1990 but continued on as
chairman emeritus and consulting engineer.
Tom was very active in his profession and fulfilled his
personal obligation to communicate his ideas, experiences,
and concerns through more than 60 widely circulated papers
and presentations. While listing the detailed citations is not
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appropriate here, the breadth of topics is illustrated by a few
titles: “Whatever Happened to Long-Term Bridge Design?,”
“Improving Contracting Methods,” “A Tale of Three Tunnels,”
“Alternative Concepts for Undersea Tunnels,” “Earthquake
Design for Subways,” and “Underground Structures—
designing for constructability.” Tom was also coeditor of
Tunnel Engineering Handbook, first published in 1982 (Van
Nostrand reinhold co.), the only comprehensive textbook
covering the design and construction of virtually every type
of tunnel.
in addition to many publications, his actions to improve
the profession of engineering led to his active participation
in many professional organizations, including the National
academy of engineering, american society of civil engineers,
american consulting engineers council, international
association for Bridge and structural engineers, The Moles
(fraternal organization of the U.s. heavy underground
construction industry), British Tunneling society, structural
engineers association of california, and the american railway
engineering association. He was also a registered professional
engineer in 21 states.
Tom’s broad background was recognized by his selection
to participate in many special committees such as:
• Steering Committee and Charter Member, U.S.
National committee on Tunneling Technology, for the
report Better Contracting for Underground Construction,
1974
• Steering Committee, American Society of Civil
engineers (asce) conference on construction risks
and liability sharing, scottsdale, arizona, 1979
• Senior advisor to the Underground Technology
Research Council for its “Guidelines for Tunnel Lining
design”
• International Advisory Committee for the International
conference on cable-stayed Bridges, Bangkok
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THOMAS R. KUESEL
• American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials Advisory Committee for
Development of “Guidelines for Vessel Collision
design of Highway Bridges,” 1987–1990
• Geotechnical Board of the National Research Council,
chairman, 1988–1989
• Chairman of the National Research Council Marine
Board committee on ship-Bridge collisions, 1982–
1983
in addition to his many committee appointments, Tom
was recognized with awards from professional engineering
societies. He considered his election to the National academy
of engineering in 1977 to be the greatest recognition. He
was also designated an honorary member of the american
Underground construction association and received the
golden Beaver award in 1989 from the Beavers, the West coast
heavy construction honorary association. in 1988 he received
the ernest e. Howard award for structural engineering from
the asce.
Tom was often referred to as an “engineer’s engineer” be-
cause of his vast knowledge and experience and his willingness
to mentor others. He was a real believer in the “observational
method of design,” which recognized the importance of the
continuing interaction of the structural engineer with the
construction of underground projects, observing that the
most valuable design tool is the project itself. This approach,
combined with Tom’s practical knowledge of construction,
led to the introduction of many innovations in the industry.
He is given credit by his peers for innovations such as:
• Design of 100-foot-diameter structural reinforcement
for underground chambers to resist nuclear effects
(North american air defense command center,
1962)
• First use of flexible ring design concept for transit
tunnel linings (Bay area rapidTransit, 1964)
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• First design criteria for earthquake-resistant design of
subways (Bay area rapid Transit, 1965)
• First use of rock reinforcement for permanent support
of U.s. transit stations (Metropolitan atlanta rapid
Transit authority, Peachtree center, 1976)
• First precast concrete segmental liners for U.S.
transportation tunnels (Baltimore lexington Market
Tunnels, 1977)
• First use of permanent structural slurry walls for
transit construction (Bay area rapid Transit, 1965)
• Permanent shot crete lining for tunnel support in
weak sandstone (stanford linear accelerator center/
Positron electron Project, california, 1977)
• Use of rock reinforcement to reduce the size and cost of
tunnel lining (glenwood canyon Tunnels, colorado,
1981; rogers Pass Tunnel, British columbia)
• First use of New Austrian Tunneling Method design
in U.s. transit tunnel (Mount lebanon Tunnel,
Pittsburgh, 1981)
• Extension of state of the art in earthquake-resistant
design; special design to exclude natural gas
infiltration (Los Angeles Metro, 1966)
The greatest tribute to a civil engineer is the memorial of his
structures that survive him, recognizing that a complex project
is never the work of one person. They are all team efforts. But
one name usually stands out as the driving force behind the
project or the contributor of a critical design or decision that
enabled the project to move forward. The list of such projects
for Tom is lengthy, but a few deserve special mention.
NORAD (North American Air Defense Command Center)
When Norad was being mined in cheyenne Mountain,
colorado, an unforeseen and potentially unsafe shear zone
was found at the intersection of two rock chambers, creating a
construction crisis. sitting in a café, Tom sketched an alternative
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THOMAS R. KUESEL
design, which he described as a “grapefruit with four tin cans
attached,” to support the rock loads. Tom detailed the design
to resist nuclear blast effects and construction proceeded.
BART
(Bay Area Rapid Transit, the first modern U.S. transit system)
from 1963 to 1968, on behalf of BarT’s general engineering
consultant joint venture, Tom directed the design of 20 miles
of subways, 25 miles of aerial structures, two rock tunnels,
and the 3.6-mile immersed tunnel between san francisco and
oakland, california. in the course of his work, he developed
the design basis for the resistance of underground structures
to earthquakes.
Mount Macdonald/Rogers Pass Tunnel
The 9-mile Mount Macdonald/rogers Pass Tunnel in British
columbia, canada, the longest rail tunnel in North america,
was driven under 5,500 feet of rock in a national park, which
greatly constrained geotechnical exploration. Tom developed
a series of generic designs that applied to different sections
of the tunnel as conditions changed. This allowed work to
proceed and eliminated disputes on differing site conditions.
Fort McHenry Tunnel, Maryland
Traffic volume in Baltimore demanded the widest immersed
tube tunnel and the largest underwater highway tunnel in
the world (at that time). With Tom as principal-in-charge,
the project was successfully completed with many value
engineering cost savings. The fort McHenry Tunnel won
major awards from the largest U.s. civil engineering societies.
Tom’s many other projects and contributions are too
numerous to mention. But as a summary statement, those
who worked closely with him described Tom as a leader, a
teacher, a mentor, an advisor, a consultant, a problem solver,
and, above all, a constant gentleman and a very nice human
being.
Tom left behind his beloved wife of 51 years, lucia elodia,
and two sons, Robert Livingston Kuesel and William Baldwin
Kuesel, and five grandchildren.
