See how Rio Vista drawbridge will be raised after getting stuck as repair work begins

Caltrans will perform overnight emergency repairs on the Rio Vista drawbridge, which got stuck in the raised position earlier this month.

Caltrans is manually raising and lowering the Rio Vista bridge. Caltrans announced on Tuesday that the manual lift process will continue periodically until permanent repairs to the gear box in the bridge’s towers are finished in the coming weeks.

The drawbridge got stuck in a raised position on Aug. 9. Crews are working to repair the lifting mechanism to allow large boats and ships to pass below along the Sacramento River.

“It’s the first time in recent memory that crews have used the manual lift to raise a drawbridge this big,” Caltrans spokesman Vince Jacala said in a video about the project.

Cables and a giant winch system will be used to temporarily raise the span, which can be cranked to 125 feet from its stationary position. The process will require an overnight closure to motorists and additional night closures as repairs continue.

The Helen Madere Memorial Bridge was built in the 1960s as a gateway between the Sacramento Valley and the Bay Area. About 21,000 motorists pass over the bridge each day.

This story was originally published August 28, 2018 at 10:48 AM.