Delineated One-Lane at Villa Creek Bridge
Delineated One-Lane at Villa Creek Bridge

Bridge Maintenance Updates – Villa Creek Road, Cayucos and Pippin Lane, See Canyon

Author: Public Works
Date: 5/18/2020 2:29:16 PM

On Wednesday April 29, 2020, Public Works was contacted by Caltrans regarding Villa Creek Road Bridge 2 (4292-BR2) and by CalFire regarding Pippin Lane Bridge 1 (2086-BR1). Both bridges had damage to the 12” by 12” timber cap beams that support the bridge girders and deck.

Villa Creek Bridge
Villa Creek Bridge is located about 5 miles north of Cayucos along Hwy 1. During the bridge’s bi-annual inspection it was determined by a Caltrans inspector that the easterly half of the southerly cap beam was crushed. Being a two-lane bridge, Caltrans required that the east lane of the bridge be closed to traffic to prevent further loading to the damaged beam.

Damaged Timber Cap Beam on Villa Creek Bridge Damaged Timber Cap Beam on Villa Creek Bridge

County staff developed a traffic control plan within a day and the County road crew had the signs and delineators in place by Friday morning May 1. The delineators will remain in place, allowing the bridge to be used with a single lane, until permits can be obtained, and the necessary repair made to the timber cap. This repair does not qualify for emergency permitting because the road can remain open with one lane of the bridge still in use.

Delineated One-Lane at Villa Creek Bridge Delineated One-Lane at Villa Creek Bridge

Pippin Lane Bridge
The Pippin Lane bridge is located about 1 mile north of San Luis Bay Drive off of See Canyon Road. After the bridge damage was reported by CalFire the bridge was inspected by Caltrans and County staff. Unlike the damage on Villa Creek, the cap beam was completely crushed. The Pippin Lane Bridge was more complex because it is a single lane bridge. Caltrans and County staff determined on Thursday April 30 that traffic could not be diverted around the damaged portion of the timber cap beam and that the bridge was unsafe for continued vehicle traffic.

Crushed Timber Cap Beam on Pippin Lane Bridge – Before Repair Crushed Timber Cap Beam on Pippin Lane Bridge – Before Repair

The road was closed Friday morning May 1 after providing notice to the residents. The bridge is on the only County road that provides access to the residents on Pippin Lane, so residents needed to park their cars on the other side of the bridge and walk across the bridge to access their homes. This was the only option, as the bridge was not safe for vehicle traffic.

Repaired Timber Cap Beam on Pippin Lane Bridge Repaired Timber Cap Beam on Pippin Lane Bridge

The situation required County staff to develop a repair plan and obtain emergency permits to repair the damaged timber cap beam as soon as possible and restore access for the residents. The bridge is in an environmentally sensitive area that is habitat to red legged frogs and steelhead trout, requiring environmental staff to conduct a nighttime survey and develop a plan that would protect the habitat.

With the emergency permits and plan developed, the County road crew was able to start work on Tuesday May 5 and have the repair work complete and bridge re-opened to vehicle traffic by the end of the day on Thursday May 7.

The situations on Villa Creek Road and Pippin Lane both required coordination and quick action by Caltrans staff, and County road, environmental, safety, and engineering staff to resolve them safely and with the least impact to residents.

Both bridges are included in the County’s Bridge Preventative Maintenance Program (BPMP) to have other preventative maintenance performed on them within the next year. Because they are both included in the BPMP which is eligible for federal funding through Caltrans, all the work performed on these bridges will be submitted to Caltrans for federal reimbursement.