Ray Zelinski, a highly influential bridge engineer across a 40-year career with the California Department of Transportation whose work to enhance bridges’ earthquake resilience continues to benefit the state, has died. He was 85.
Zelinski, P.E., F.ASCE, applied his seismic expertise to bridges throughout California and beyond. Following the devastating Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, he learned from the rubble to update criteria and standards that continue to be used today.
As an active ASCE member, Zelinski presented at Society conventions for many years and wrote a Civil Engineering magazine cover article, “Double-deck Bridge Retrofits,” in April 1994.
In his four decades of experience as a bridge engineer at Caltrans, the first 15 were in construction engineer and the latter 25 in design, 21 of which were dedicated to earthquake design. In 1999 Zelinski was named chief of Caltrans’ 40-person Office of Earthquake Engineering, and he retired in 2003.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Marquette University in Milwaukee in 1962, Zelinski made California his home, joining Caltrans. Among his achievements were serving as structure representative on the nation’s first cast-in-place segmental concrete bridge, the Pine Valley Creek Bridge in 1974-75.
As chief of Caltrans Design Section 4, Zelinski managed the design of a major portion of Los Angeles’ Route 105 elevated freeway, the Airport Viaduct. the 24/680 Interchange separation structures reconstruction in Walnut Creek, 1983 to 1989. Both projects were massive, complex, high visibility, and multi-million dollar efforts. He also conducted numerous training sessions for Caltrans construction engineers.
He became sought outside of Caltrans for his expertise. For the state of Hawaii in 1975, Zelinski provided concrete segmental bridge construction services for the Kipapa River Bridge near Honolulu.
Zelinski served on a peer review panel for Parsons Brinckerhoff on dozens of bridge retrofits for the city of Seattle from 1993-95, and was a consultant for Parsons in the 1990s on seismic projects for Washington state, South Carolina, New York City, and New Zealand. He collaborated with Steinmen for New York state transportation projects from 1996 to 2001. He served as a seismic expert witness in 2006-08 in an $18 million lawsuit involving the design/build Ravenel Bridge in Charleston, South Carolina.
Most recently, Zelinski provided peer review oversight to Caltrans for the seismic retrofit design of the Scofield Avenue undercrossing on Interstate 580 in the east Bay Area, completed in 2023.
He was also a member of the American Concrete Institute and served on an awards committee reviewing engineering papers for honors.
Zelinski’s many pursuits beyond his career included hiking, golfing, square dancing, playing bridge, barbecuing, fishing in Alaska, and cheering on the A’s. Those who knew him remember his generosity, wisdom, friendship, and sense of humor.
