Looks closer to being built.
New bridge for Folsom gets closer
Work is expected to begin early next year on span to replace Folsom Dam Road.
By Cathy Locke - Bee Staff WriterPublished 12:00 am PST Thursday, November 23, 2006
In a pre-Thanksgiving ceremony that may give motorists cause for gratitude, Folsom city officials and representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed an agreement Wednesday to build a new bridge over the American River.
Mayor Andy Morin, City Manager Kerry Miller and Col. Ronald Light, district engineer for the Corps of Engineers' Sacramento District, signed documents specifying each agency's responsibilities for the estimated $117 million bridge and roadway designed to handle traffic that once used Folsom Dam Road. The road over the dam was closed nearly four years ago because of fears of terrorism.
The closure has diverted traffic through Folsom's historic district and increased congestion, particularly during commute hours.
The four-lane, 2-mile-long project downstream from Folsom Dam will connect East Natoma Street with Folsom-Auburn Road.
"This is really a major milestone in getting a significant regional project built in this community," Morin said during the signing ceremony at Folsom City Hall.
Bids for the project are due Dec. 8, and Morin said he expects the contract to be awarded in three to four weeks. Groundbreaking likely will occur in late January or early February, he said.
Keith Montag, project manager with the corps, said the bridge will take 22 months to build. He said that contractors face a tight timeline. The 1,000-foot-long span is scheduled to open by December 2008.
