Built in 1921, the Service Road bridge over the TID Main Canal at Moore Road, is in need of replacement. It is deemed structurally deficient and no longer meets current design and safety standards. But City Engineer Michael Beltran said it likely won’t be for another five to seven years for construction to wrap up.
Chalk it up to the bureaucracy of obtaining the federal funding and up to 24 months to prepare the professional engineering documents and undergo environmental review.
“All of these funds are administered through Caltrans, through the highway bridge program, so it does take some hoops to jump through, which is fine,” said Beltran. “But once we get the design completed, then we need to now wait for highway bridge program funds to become available for the construction of the bridge.”
Mayor Javier Lopez answered with: “Definition of government works slow, doesn’t it? Wow.”
At the Monday, Feb. 9 Ceres City Council meeting, members approved getting the funding lined up and hiring a professional design firm to draw up plans.
Consor North America will provide design services for $517,782. The work will include surveying, geotechnical coordination, hydrology and hydraulic analysis, structural and roadway design, preparation of plans, specifications, and cost estimates (PS&E), and coordination with TID.
The city has been awarded funding of $277,000 through the Highway Bridge Program (HBP), which provides federal funds for the rehabilitation or replacement of deficient bridges. The remaining cost will be covered by $115,216.79 from Measure L tax funds and $145,565.33 for city accounts, none of which are General Fund dollars.
On Feb. 9 the Ceres City Council approved posting of signs limiting the weight of vehicles going over the bridge due to its condition. The city will restrict a single vehicle to 14 tons or less; a semi tractor-trailer rig to no more than 32 tons; and truck and full trailer to no more than 34 tons.
The new weight limit means the canal cannot support the fire department’s large Quint engine since it weighs 43.5 tons.
“This will also make it so that no permitted loads are allowed to go over that bridge,” said Beltran.
Beltran said most passenger vehicles are between 5,000 and 8,000 pounds.
“For the normal everyday vehicle the bridge is safe,” reassured Beltran.
The city expects to apply for more grants to fund construction which will include widening to four lanes.
Beltran forecasts that engineering will take up to two years.
According to Beltran, recent inspections and engineering evaluations by Caltrans have determined that the bridge has “reached the end of its useful service life and requires replacement.”
“It is nothing that is a major safety issue for normal vehicles,” said Beltran, “but they do recommend putting load restrictions on the bridge.”
The project also includes approximately 200 feet of roadway improvements in both directions along Service Road and Moore Road to tie into the new structure.
Ceres resident Dave Pratt was happy to hear the city plans to replace the bridge.
“That’s been way overdue to replace this bridge,” Pratt told the council. “It’s too narrow and the traffic’s just getting worse.”
Councilwoman Rosalinda Vierra questioned how the new weight restrictions will impact truck traffic.
“Do we have a truck route available since most loads come across at about 80,000 (pounds)?” asked Vierra.
Beltran said Ceres does have an alternative truck route.
“Generally speaking,” he said, “you can use the Keyes Road off-ramp, obviously coming off of Mitchell and trying to turn right on Service will be an issue.”
The city has known for some time of the bridge’s decay.
In 2021 former associate engineer Andy Austin, who earned a master’s degree in Structural Civil Engineering, resigned from his city post because he said his concerns about the bridge were not being heeded and complaints that the city was failing to do proper calculations to see if other projects engineered in-house meet California Building Code standards.
Austin said that after City Engineer Daniel Padilla left Ceres for Menifee, he discovered that Caltrans had downgraded the 1921 bridge for structural integrity. He claimed that then Public Works Director Jeremy Damas instructed him to not “work on that because I don’t know who’s paying for insurance.” Austin didn’t understand what Damas meant and explained “if you own it and it fails you’re going to be paying somebody in a court case.”
According to Austin, Padilla was aware of Caltrans’ summation of the condition of the bridge and didn’t feel it was important and that Austin could review it when he had the time.
Concrete bridges are susceptible to soffit spalling on the underside because bars rust and expand, pushing away concrete.
According to Austin in 2021, the box culvert bridge can no longer support vehicle load in excess of 72,091 pounds, or 36.05 tons.
Then City Manager Alex Terrazas said that Austin “reported a concern that he had about a bridge in the city which spans a TID canal, despite this inquiry being outside of his realm of expertise and outside of his assignment. Mr. Austin made no effort to determine within whose jurisdiction the bridge was within or who was truly responsible for addressing any engineering concerns.” Terrazas said Damas directed Austin to end his inquiries “until those entities could confer about overall liability issues. Mr. Austin disregarded those directives multiple times after being told that management was looking into the issues.”
In November 2021, Damas told the Courier that the city didn’t know who is responsible for the bridge, going as far to say that if Caltrans ordered the test, then the state is responsible for the bridge.
