The Placer County Board of Supervisors awarded a $6.9 million construction contract Tuesday for a new bridge that will take Cook Riolo Road over Dry Creek in the southwest corner of the county.
On a unanimous vote, the board awarded the contract to MCM Construction Inc. of Sacramento, the lowest responsible and responsive bidder.
The 250-foot-long bridge will be built in two phases over two or three construction seasons. Construction on the first phase is scheduled to get under way this summer.
First District Supervisor Jack Duran thanked the Public Works Department for bringing the project forward, saying, “I know the folks out in the Dry Creek area are very interested in seeing this project not only begin, but be completed.”
During the first phase, motorists will continue to use the old bridge while the western half of the new structure is built. In the second, the old bridge will be removed, traffic will be redirected to the new western span and the eastern half of the new bridge will be built.
The current one-lane bridge is old and subject to frequent flooding. The new bridge will include two 12-foot traffic lanes, 2 four-foot shoulders and a 10-foot bikeway that will have a concrete barrier to separate bicyclists and pedestrians from vehicle traffic.
In a report to the board, the Public Works Department noted it worked with area residents and members of the West Placer Municipal Advisory Council on the design of the bridge. “The proposed bridge will preserve the rural atmosphere desired by the residents while still providing a bridge and roadway approaches designed to current standards,” the report explained.
Public Works also emphasized the new bridge will be much less susceptible to flooding than the existing one. The new structure will meet 100-year flood standards.
Almost 90 percent of the project funding will come from the federal government through its Federal Highway Bridge Program. The county will cover the rest of the project costs with county road funds and mitigation fee revenue.
