Bradford Field Townsend, 60, of Bridgewater, NH, passed away unexpectedly at home Christmas Eve, December 24, 2015. He was with his beloved wife and mother at the time of his death.Brad was born in Beverly, MA on June 22, 1955. He went to Burr & Burton high school in Manchester, VT. He obtained a B.S. in Natural/Environmental Science at Johnson State College in Johnson VT in 1979 and a MS in Civil Engineering at the University of New Hampshire, Durham NH in 1985.
Bradford’s work as a civil engineer both in the United States and internationally encompassed the design and construction of tunnels, mines, bridges, and highway and rail transportation systems.
His engineering career began at Haley and Aldrich in 1986 where he worked on projects in the New England area that included foundations for buildings and bridges, soil and rock excavation, and water, pedestrian, subway, and highway tunnels. He later worked on projects in Cairo and Bangkok.
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In 1994, he joined Louis Berger International and continued to work in Asia on the BTSC Mass Transportation project in Bangkok involving the design of 25km of elevated heavy rail mass transport and 25 stations, and the Hai Van Pass Tunnel Project in Vietnam which included the design of 6km of tunnel and 2km of bridge work. From 2000 to 2005, he was the Deputy Chief Director of Engineering for the Taiwan High Speed Rail project working for Parsons Brinckerhoff International. The high speed rail project required the design and construction of 47km of mined and cut and cover tunnels, 250km of viaduct structures, and 32km of cut and fill embankment.
Upon returning to the United States, Bradford joined Hatch Mott MacDonald working on the San Francisco Downtown Rail Extension; a multi-modal transportation facility accommodating busses, commuter rail, and future high speed rail operations. To care for his parents, he moved back to New Hampshire in 2012, and joined Parsons Transportation in a vice president role overseeing large transportation bridge and tunnel projects. He later joined Dr. Sauer and Partners in early 2015.
Throughout his career, Bradford assumed a prominent and noted role in the civil engineering and tunneling community. He published several articles in the North American Tunneling and ASCE Journals, and for over twenty years presented at a variety of global engineering conferences. His projects have won the ACEC Engineering Excellence Award, and ASCE National and Regional Excellence Awards.
Although highly accomplished as a civil engineer, Bradford considered his own construction company his pride and joy. In 1979, after graduating from Johnson State College, Bradford became the owner and manager of Lone Pine Construction, concentrating on residential and light commercial projects, general site civil development, and water front work. After becoming an engineer, Bradford continued to operate Lone Pine as a construction and engineering company until his passing.
Brad is survived by his wife Sandie Kuo Townsend, his mother Helyn Acosta Townsend, his sister Lisabeth Carol Townsend, two aunts and many cousins. Brad is predeceased by his father John Burnett Townsend.
Brad cherished his time at home on Bridgewater Hill with his love for the land and the close knit community. He enjoyed motor biking, skiing and the true spirit of the holidays. Friends around the world will always remember his vibrant smile and a loud “URRR” signifying a bond of friendship.
The family invites donations in Brad’s honor to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. (Website: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital)
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