Rio Linda Boulevard Bridge Replacement and Main Avenue Realignment Project

Location

Rio Linda Boulevard and Main Avenue Intersection

City or County Responsible for Project

City of Sacramento

Category

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

Author

Philip Vulliet, PE

Organization

City of Sacramento

Address

915 I Street, Room 2000, Sacramento, CA 95814

Phone

(916) 808-5092

Project Description

The existing Rio Linda Boulevard Bridge over Magpie Creek, constructed in 1937, was a four-span reinforced concrete slab bridge carrying two travel lanes. The bridge was structurally deficient and functionally obsolete due to a lack of shoulders/bike lanes, sub-standard railing, and poor approach geometrics. Immediately north of the bridge was the all-way stop controlled Rio Linda Boulevard/Main Avenue intersection. This intersection had a large skew to avoid Magpie Creek. This skew restricted vehicle stopping sight distance and had poor visibility at night. The City of Sacramento (City) secured federal Highway Bridge Program (HBP) funds to replace the bridge on Rio Linda Boulevard and address safety, traffic congestion, and multimodal needs. The City studied multiple alternatives to replace the bridge and address vehicular and non-motorized travel. The constructed alternative realigned Magpie Creek to intersect with Rio Linda Boulevard at a perpendicular angle at the south leg of the Main Avenue intersection. This shortened the length of the structure required to cross the creek, improved creek hydraulics, and provided the opportunity to realign Main Avenue to a perpendicular intersection with Rio Linda Boulevard. The replacement bridge was a 35-foot long by 88-foot wide precast/prestressed concrete slab bridge. The wider bridge also provided space to accommodate vehicle and multimodal facilities. The Rio Linda Boulevard/Main Avenue intersection was signalized and widened to provide two left turn lanes and one right turn lane on Main Avenue and left turn lane on Rio Linda Boulevard. The project constructed six-foot sidewalks, ADA compliant curb ramps, 6-foot bike lanes/shoulders, and two new bus stops with bicycle and pedestrian connections. The new bridge also carries the Sacramento Northern Bike Trail over Magpie Creek and removed the existing trail bridge over the creek. The Rio Linda Boulevard Bridge needed to meet Central Valley Flood Protection Board (CVFPB) hydraulic requirements of 100-year water surface elevation plus two feet of freeboard. To accommodate the hydraulic requirements, the roadway profile was raised. This resulted in profile adjustments to Main Avenue and driveways to existing businesses and residential homes. Due to the proximity of businesses, the roadway needed to remain open during construction. An innovative staging plan allowed the roadway to remain open and maintained access to adjacent businesses throughout construction. Several utilities were relocated with the project including a 48” sanitary sewer main, 24” and 12” water distribution mains, and overhead electrical and communication lines. This $10.6 million project has improved the safety and operation of the Rio Linda Boulevard/Main Avenue intersection, replaced two aging bridges with a single new structure, and provided new connectivity to bicycle, pedestrian and transit facilities.