Jellys Ferry Road at Sacramento River Bridge Replacement Project

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Location

Jellys Ferry Road at Sacramento River

City or County Responsible for Project

Tehama County

Category

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

Author

Jessica Pecha

Organization

Tehama County Department of Public Works

Address

9380 San Benito Ave

Phone

5303851462

 

Project Description

In 2022 Tehama County completed the Jellys Ferry at Sacramento River Bridge Replacement Project which replaced the existing 940-ft steel thru Pratt truss bridge with timber decking that was built to replace the ferry boat.
Constructed in 1949, the existing 5‐span, bridge over the Sacramento River is located approximately seven miles northeast of Interstate 5 in rural Tehama County. The bridge deck consisted of timber stringers, timber decking, and an asphalt wearing surface. Jellys Ferry Road provides local recreational access across the Sacramento River to portions of the Sacramento River Bend Outstanding Area operated by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Recreational opportunities include hiking trails, fishing, target shooting, boating, wildlife watching, and camping so maintaining public access is a high priority for the County.
Due to its age and extensive wear & tear, the existing bridge was load-limited to a single lane down the middle of the bridge and classified both structurally and seismically deficient. The timber decking has suffered repeated minor and major failures due weather exposure and in 2019 the bridge was closed to traffic.
The project constructed two new sustainable concrete bridges across the Sacramento River and its overflow area, realigned 3,700 feet of Jelly’s Ferry Road, and reconstructed the BLM recreation facilities. The Sacramento River Bridge is a 6‐span, 1,264‐foot‐long, cast‐in-place, prestressed concrete box girder bridge. The Overflow Bridge is an 11‐span, 682.5‐foot‐long, cast‐in‐place, prestressed concrete slab bridge. The Overflow Bridge spans the river’s overflow flood zone which previously closed the road during high-flow storm events.
BLM’s Sacramento River Bend Outstanding Area is home to numerous wildlife species such as river otters, beavers, bald eagles, osprey, deer, salmon, and turtles. In order to protect these sensitive species, the project acquired a variety of regulatory approvals and met numerous conditions, mitigation measures, and regulatory obligations.
In recognition of the local wildlife and rural nature of the site, the new Sacramento River Bridge features complex architecture design elements that required special attention to ensure the design intent was achieved during construction. Unique insets and features on the bridge include:
• Various stainless-steel fish inlays on bridge soffit
• Column elevation markers
• Various stainless steel fish identification plaques
• Stainless-steel “elevation way findings” inlays
Additional architectural features included concrete barriers with a “wood grain texture” pattern, concrete stain, and pigmented concrete on the base of the barrier. All galvanized metal surfaces were stained to a dark brown rustic finish.
Completion of this project reopened year-round access of rural residents to schools, medical services and commodity resources. The opening also provides increased access for the area’s agricultural commerce.