Dixon Mine Road Bridge over Wolf Creek

Location

Alpine County, CA

City or County Responsible for Project

Alpine County, Community Development

Category

Bridge: Efficient and Sustainable Bridge Maintenance, Construction and Reconstruction Projects

Author

Brian Peters

Organization

Alpine County – Community Development

Address

50 Diamond Valley Road, Markleeville, CA 96120

Phone

(530) 694-2140 x425

Project Description

Nestled in the Sierra Nevada Range and located just south of Lake Tahoe, Alpine County is a rural area with majestic views of both mountains and meadows. Between the winter skiing and summer hiking, the high altitude contributes to extreme weather conditions that must be considered for any design work and construction. The primary purpose of this federally funded bridge replacement project was to replace the original timber bridge and to provide a modern structure that meets current design criteria. Located on Dixon Mine Road, a one-lane road with nominal shoulders, approximately 8 miles southeast of the community of Markleeville, the original bridge at Wolf Creek was a 15′ wide and 30’ long single-span timber bridge located in a high mountain meadow. The old timber bridge had reached the end of its service life. The new bridge is a 68’ long, 25’-4” wide, single-span, cast-in-place, prestressed, concrete slab and provides two 9’ lanes, shoulders, and new barrier rails compliant with current design standards. The project involved closing the road to through traffic during the removal and replacement of the bridge, as well as reconstructing approximately 700’ of Dixon Mine Road. A significant amount of work was required within the limits of the stream channel including demolition of the original bridge, excavation, construction of abutments, and erecting falsework. A temporary bridge was installed for the duration of construction and a localized diversion installed under the watchful eye of the Lahontan Water Quality Control Board. This one-season project started in the Summer and ended in the Fall of 2019. The project was completed on time for a total construction cost of $1,668,470 which included two change orders for a total of $3,470.