The $239.5-million rehab of the American River Bridge in Sacramento, Calif., will reach a milestone this month, with the CM/GC joint venture of Granite Construction Inc. and California Engineering Contractors completing final deck pours.

Built in 1954 as separate northbound and southbound two-lane spans, the 1.5-mile crossing linking downtown and eastern Sacramento was expanded to three lanes in 1966 without additional structural support. Since then, the deck has had extensive cracking and spalling, with severe scour around foundation piles.

Nine new piers will help support the widened bridge.
Photo courtesy of Granite Construction

Early collaboration with state regulators enabled the team to expedite the permitting process and begin construction in Jan. 2022, while design was still underway. The project includes nine new 50-ft-wide piers, ranging in height from 40 ft to 60 ft; 15 bents averaging 30 ft in height; and the superstructure for the replacement of the existing deck.

To protect the river and its wintertime salmon runs, much of the work is performed from barges, with dewatered sheetpile cofferdams providing access to pier footings for scour mitigation.

According to Granite, the next phase calls for shifting State Route 51 traffic back to original alignments and starting construction on the Class 1 bike path along the bridge. Scheduled for completion next summer, the widened crossing will have four full shoulders, with one HOV lane in each direction. New soundwalls and seismic upgrades are also part of the project, funded by California’s State Highway Operation and Protection Program and an Active Transportation Program grant.