Public Works reopens National Trail Highway Bridge 77

The Department of Public Works (DPW) is pleased to announce that it has reopened the National Trail Highway Bridge 77 in Amboy after receiving its final inspection by Caltrans District 8 on Thursday, March 21.

The bridge had been closed since Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, after a scheduled inspection by Caltrans determined that the bridge between Amboy Road and Kelbaker Road couldn’t handle traffic capacity. County Public Works staff immediately followed up on the Caltrans inspection and discovered that the structural pilings, which hold up the bridge, were degraded by 50 percent. Due to safety concerns, Public Works agreed to close the bridge to all vehicular traffic.

The repair project was overseen by the DPW Operations field staff and managed by the project delivery team. Following the approval of an emergency procurement board item on Feb. 27, and with emergency permits obtained from the Department of Fish and Wildlife and Colorado River Water Quality Control Board, work commenced within just 13 days of the bridge closure and was finalized within a three-week timeframe.

The bridge is a wooden trestle bridge, built in 1930, making it a 94-year-old bridge. The wooden piles were exhibiting severe decay and deterioration which in turn impacted its structural integrity. The deterioration had substantially compromised both the load-bearing capacity of the piles as well as the overall strength and serviceability of the bridge.

For more information about the National Trail Highway and how Public Works reopened the road, please visit our website at https://dpw.sbcounty.gov/operations/nth-route-66/\.

Additional County Update News – March 28, 2024