Lake Almanor Spillway Bridge now open
At least a month ahead of schedule, the new on-budget $9 million Lake Almanor Spillway Bridge in Plumas County located next to the Lake Almanor dam was recently completed and opened to traffic.
According to a news release from Caltrans District 2 Public Information Officer Lupita Franco, the modern bridge, reopened to traffic Sept. 28 is constructed on the old 1963 bridge’s alignment, and features seismic upgrades, shoulder and barrier rails, double column piers atop spread footings, and a deck consisting of state-of-the-art fiber reinforced concrete with epoxy coated deck reinforcement for durability.
Ryan Johnson, resident engineer for the Almanor Spillway project, said the dimensions of the bridge include a span of 466.5 feet, and feature a width of 40 feet with two 12-foot wide lanes with eight-foot shoulders on each side of the bridge for bike traffic, which can also be used for pedestrians to cross.
The railing is made of galvanized steel that includes an upper rail design for bike protection to prevent bicyclists from accidently toppling over the edges of the bridge.
The temporary one-lane paved bypass road adjacent to the Spillway Bridge Project on Hwy. 89 had been removed shortly before the new construction was complete.
To celebrate the efforts of the prime contractor, Q&D Construction Inc. and its subcontractors that worked on this project, the public and other key stakeholders were invited to celebrate the official ribbon cutting ceremony Friday, Oct. 12, at the north end of the bridge.
The free event was attended by County Supervisor Sherrie Thrall, CHP representatives, Peninsula Fire, and representatives from Sparks-based Q&D Construction, including the president of the company Lance Semenko, project manager Stacy Barnes, and Caltrans personnel. including construction engineer Jim Rogers.
