Sacramento will begin rebuilding a bridge that has cracks and missing chunks
Sacramento will begin replacing a “functionally obsolete” 98-year-old bridge on Auburn Boulevard on the northeastern city limit, raising the height of the bridge slightly to reduce flooding.
The city said in a news release that the Department of Public Works will replace the Arcade Creek Bridge, a 70-foot structure that carries five lanes of traffic over a small creek that eventually flows into the Sacramento River. The replacement is more than a decade in the making. The 2012 Caltrans Bridge Inspection Report said the bridge had cracks in it and that chunks of concrete were falling off the main structure, known as “spalling.”
A $9.2 million federal Highway Bridge Program grant will cover most of the $16 million project, with the city and county kicking in to cover an additional lane.
As part of the bridge replacement, the city will widen the bridge to 100 feet across, adding a second left-turn lane from Auburn Boulevard to Winding Way as well as sidewalks and bike lanes. A study previously published by the city said the bridge is currently 76 feet wide. The additional lane, the city said on its site, was not covered by the federal grant, and so Sacramento has partnered with Sacramento County to cover that element.
The project will address the sidewalk gaps that exist on the current bridge.
A small section of Auburn Boulevard will be closed for about three months starting after Memorial Day. The closure will span from Winding Way to the Interstate 80 ramps by Del Paso Park, though the freeway ramp will remain open for most of that time as will the Winding Way intersection. The city timed the closure to take place during the dry season, when creek flows will be lower. The closure will also minimize the effect on students and faculty at the nearby American River College: The campus will be less active due to the summer break.
The primary detour will take drivers over the detour on Highway 244, a small unsigned viaduct that connects with Interstate 80, the Capital City Freeway and Watt Avenue.
