Caltrans project continues to retrofit vulnerable bridges in Merced County

Work continues on the Bear Creek bridges near the intersection of West 16th Street and State Route 59 in Merced, as part of a larger multi-million dollar California Department of Transportation project to retrofit bridges in Merced County deemed vulnerable to seismic events.

The Merced Seismic Retrofit project includes work on five bridges in Merced County in need of an upgrade after they were deemed to be seismically vulnerable. Caltrans said the bridges also had “non-standard bridge railings” as well as other parts of the bridges that required updating at each site.

The bridges include:

• Both northbound and southbound Bear Creek bridges on State Route 59 in the City of Merced
• The eastbound San Joaquin River bridge on State Route 152
• Both eastbound and westbound sides of the Eastside Bypass Channel bridges on State Route 152
• The Los Banos Creek/West Branch Mud Slough bridge on State Route 140
• The San Joaquin River Bridge on State Route 140.

Caltrans said crews began working on the Bear Creek bridges in Merced in Jan. 2024. Stage one of the project has been completed which includes the removal and replacement of barrier rails, unsound concrete removal, waterline removal and polyester concrete overlay, said a Caltrans District 10 spokesman.

The retrofitting work has resulted in the closure of the left lanes in both directions across the Bear Creek Bridges, Caltrans said. The closure will switch to the right lane after this week.

Remaining work for stage one includes structure work on top of the deck and stain barrier rail . Structure work that is part of stages two and three will consist of work on top of the deck including concrete barrier and sidewalk removal, concrete barrier, tubular handrails, stain barrier and to install a waterline.

Work to the bridge’s structure below the deck will include cable restrainers, seat extenders and bolsters. Caltrans said work on the Bear Creek bridges is expected to be complete by the end of September. Caltrans said the current estimated cost of the work to retrofit the Bear Creek bridges is $18 million, with $1.7 million for right of way. The cost of the work to retrofit the Bear Creek bridges accounts for about 22% of the total project cost, Caltrans said.

Crews have completed the required work to San Joaquin River Bridge and the Eastside Bypass Channel bridges. Work on both the Los Banos Creek/West Branch Mud Slough bridge on State Route 140 and the San Joaquin River Bridge on State Route 140 is expected to be completed by the end of July.

While crews have encountered some restrictions to the work on the Bear Creek bridges due to animal nesting sites, Caltrans said this has not caused any delays and crews are able to work around the constraints. Caltrans said the project remains on schedule.