Albion Bridge Stewards

SFGate reports on our efforts to save the historic Albion River Bridge

jimheid Albion Bridge Stewards, Albion River Bridge

From the article:

This bridge is no ordinary crossing. Built in 1944, it is the last timber truss superstructure owned by the state of California still carrying highway traffic — a historic landmark that locals consider part of their identity.

For the Albion Bridge Stewards, the state’s timeline doesn’t signal the end of their fight. Heid said the group will “be ready to step in and weigh in and advocate for the preservation of the bridge.”

As Heid put it simply: “We love this bridge. We believe that it should be there. It should be preserved, and we’re here to make sure that happens.”

Read the article.

Public Comment Period Extended to October 9 for Albion River Bridge DEIR/DEIS

jimheid Albion Bridge Stewards, Albion River Bridge, Caltrans , ,

Well, well.

At 5:59 pm yesterday, we received an email from Caltrans:

The comment period for the Albion River Bridge Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) and Draft Section 4(f) Evaluation will be extended for another 30 days, ending on October 9, 2024. A virtual public meeting will be scheduled, and details will be released soon.

Our group had already submitted our public comments—54 pages worth—and we know that roughly 200 additional people from around the world (literally!) submitted comments through our comment template system. (If you’re in that group, thank you.)

Now we have another month.

Why the extension?

So why did Caltrans give the public another month to finish its homework?

Only Caltrans knows for sure, but we do know that some people were not properly noticed—that is, notified about the draft environmental impact statement/report and thus given an opportunity to comment. When a person or organization has requested to be noticed and they are not, there’s the potential for legal liability. By extending the deadline, Caltrans may have side-stepped this potential issue.

Why a virtual public meeting?

In teasing at another public meeting—this one via Zoom—Caltrans may again be addressing potential legal issues stemming from its incomplete noticing.

Will the meeting be a repeat of the in-person event held at Whitesboro Grange last month? A rehash of Caltrans’ incomplete and destructive plans, with a few minutes for Q&A? Or will there be a fresh set of doom-and-gloom scenarios about the beautiful, historic—and completely safe—Albion River Bridge?

We’ll see.

What’s next? Continue the fight

Now that we have another month, we have more time to gather signatures in our petition drive and to encourage members of the public to submit comment letters—optionally using our easy templates.

We have an extra month to continue driving home the point that Caltrans’ proposed plans are bad for the environment, bad for the economy, and bad for history. Rest assured, we plan to take advantage of it.

Tuesday, Aug 27: Albion River Bridge — Community Meeting and Public Comment Workshop

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WHAT:

An informal workshop aimed at providing more information about Caltrans’ proposed Albion River Bridge project.

WHO:

Presented by Albion Bridge Stewards, with experts on historic and environmental preservation and coastal land use policies. 

WHY:

Caltrans’ so-called “public meeting” earlier this month was very one-sided, with lengthy presentations that left little time for Q&A. Worse, the meeting facilitator refused to extend the meeting to accommodate the many raised hands in the room.

We think the community should hear the full story.

We’ll start with a short presentation, and then assist community members who would like to comment on Caltrans’ plans. (Public comment is due by September 9.)

WHERE:

Mendocino Community Center in Mendocino

WHEN:

Tuesday, August 27.

The meeting begins at 5:30, but anyone is welcome to drop in any time between 5:30 and 8 pm.

Refreshments will be served.

Caltran’s DEIS/DEIR Meeting: Lots of Questions, Few Answers

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Along with more than 100 other concerned members of the public, we attended Caltrans’ standing-room-only meeting concerning the draft environmental impact statement and draft environmental impact report (DEIS/DEIR).

Our bridge banner greeted attendees of the Caltrans meeting.

In our previous post, we outlined just some of our concerns with the proposed Albion River Bridge replacement project (starting with the fact that this proposed project used to include the word rehabilitation). Caltrans’ meeting only added to our concerns—attendees asked many questions that were met with answers like “we don’t know yet” or “that depends” or “that will be determined later.”

It’s hard to comment with specifics on plans that are vague.

Despite many still-raised hands, Caltrans ended the meeting promptly at 7:30 pm. When we suggested the meeting be extended, the meeting facilitator refused, noting simply that ”we’re hearing your feedback.” Implied in that response: “But we’re ignoring it.”

Here’s a short news report on the meeting that ran on KZYX, Mendocino County Public Broadcasting.

Here’s the recording of the meeting itself.

What’s Next: August 27 Community Commenting Meeting

On August 27, we will host a community commenting meeting aimed at enabling anyone concerned about Caltrans’ plans to provide public comment, which is due to the agency by September 9.

We’ll share more information about this important meeting this week.

Albion to Caltrans: Not So Fast

jimheid Albion Bridge Stewards, Albion River Bridge, Caltrans, Coastal Commission, Salmon Creek Bridge ,

Caltrans plans to put a two-lane expressway through Albion. The agency needs to change those plans.

Most people have already heard about Caltrans’ desire to replace the historic Albion River Bridge as well as the recently seismically retrofitted Salmon Creek Bridge — and along the way, nearly doubling the width of Highway 1 in the vicinity of those two bridges.

These are bad ideas. But it gets even worse.

Caltrans has now announced plans to widen Highway 1 starting at the Navarro Point Preserve and continuing north of Navarro Ridge Road.

The result would be a Highway 1 that’s up to twice as wide, stretching from the Navarro Point Preserve to the Albion River Inn. All so drivers can fly through Albion—and then slam on the brakes at the Navarro Grade or Dark Gulch.

Caltrans is proposing four overlapping projects that will cost at least $160 million and involve years of construction, lane and highway closures, significant grading and wetlands damage, destruction of sensitive plant and animal habitat, and huge impacts to visitor-serving facilities at Albion Flats, the Albion River Inn, and Navarro Point Preserve.

Caltrans 4 projects map jpegThe projects also involve the addition of rumble strips that will destroy the tranquil soundscape of the Navarro Point Preserve, and ugly “Midwest guardrail systems” that have no place in this highly scenic part of Highway 1.

Make no mistake: Highway 1 needs drainage and safety improvements in the Navarro Ridge area. But an expressway and years of construction are not the answer—just as huge new bridges are not the answer at Salmon Creek and Albion River.

With proper maintenance, better planning, and simple measures like reduced speed limits, Highway 1 and its Albion bridges can serve the public safely for decades—and with no environmental degradation and far fewer taxpayer dollars.

Caltrans is hosting a public meeting on Thursday, September 19 at the new Albion School, 30400 Albion Ridge Road, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

Attend this meeting and tell Caltrans that its plans for Albion are too much, too expensive, and completely unnecessary—that improved safety and drainage can be accomplished for a fraction of the cost. And demand that Caltrans produce an environmental impact report and environmental impact statement that takes into account all four projects as a whole, rather than attempting to piecemeal the projects, a practice that is prohibited under the California Environmental Quality Act.

Save Highway 1 through Albion. Tell Caltrans, “not so fast.”

 

On June 9, celebrate the Albion River Bridge’s 75th anniversary

jimheid Albion Bridge Stewards, Albion River Bridge

June marks the 75th anniversary of the opening of the historic Albion River Bridge, the only remaining timber trestle bridge on California’s scenic Highway 1 and most likely the only significant timber trestle highway bridge in use in the United States.

Albion Bridge Stewards invite everyone to celebrate the 75th anniversary of this iconic bridge on Sunday, June 9 from 12:30 pm to 3:30pm at the Albion River Inn.

Come enjoy the beautiful views of the historic timber bridge from the restaurant and grounds of the inn. Featured will be local musicians extraordinaire Karl Schoen, Lynn Kiesewetter, Mark Gauche, Martha Smith and Miguel Elac.

Two short films will also be shown: Bridging the Gap, by Laurie York and Carmen Goodyear; and Albion Flight, by Jim Heid.

There will be a no-host bar.  Please carpool as there is limited parking. For more information visit our Facebook page or send email to Albion Bridge Stewards.

“Safe for continued use” and “in remarkably good condition”—Read the Independent Engineers’ Report

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Submitted by Albion Bridge Stewards, a working group of ACAB

Two independent professional engineers—world-class experts in timber bridges—have prepared a report on the condition of the Albion River Bridge.

We strongly recommend anyone interested in this bridge download and read their report. To do so, click this link: Albion River Bridge Engineering Report.

Some key highlights:

The bridge is not in need of immediate or near-term replacement. The bridge is in remarkably good condition, thanks to its well-conceived structural design, high-quality timber materials, and effective connection detailing. While there certainly are locations on the bridge that require maintenance and repair, overall the bridge appears structurally sound and safe for continued use, as per the “Safe Load Capacity and Ratings” reflected in Caltrans’ January 5, 2018 Bridge Inspection Report.

The Albion River Bridge is in remarkably good condition, and is not posted with any load capacity/weight limits. The design of the bridge involves a highly redundant structural system with multiple load paths. Features of the design that lead to its robust and resilient character include the following:

  • The timber members are of uniformly high-quality Douglas fir salt-treated by the Wolman method.
  • The timber trusses of the superstructure and support trestles consist of members primarily subjected to axial compression forces, for which heavy timber members are well suited.
  • The dimensional integrity of the bents in the trestles is impressive. Column lines are straight (to the eye) and the bents are planar. (Figure 1 below.)
  • The battered columns provide a base that is wider than the bridge deck, thus enhancing the ability of the bridge to resist lateral loads, such as those from wind.
  • In August 2002, a loaded logging truck plunged down the side of a trestle, destroying the cross-bracing members between bents. The fact that the trestle did not collapse due to the loss of bracing is an indication of the resilient and redundant nature of the trestles and demonstrates how the internal shear connectors might be revealed for inspection (as discussed later in this report) without endangering the structural integrity or safety of the bridge.
  • There is little or no audible rattle below the bridge deck when traffic passes overhead. This observation suggests that connections are tight and members are sound.
  • Generally, access to the connections within the trestles is good, which will enhance the efficiency of inspection, maintenance, and repair activities. Removing bracing members temporarily to inspect the inner connection hardware could be performed relatively easily without requiring closure of the bridge to traffic.
  • Each of the outer-most columns of each bent is heavily bolstered at its base to help distribute compressive load into side-grain bearing on the lower sill plates. The next, inboard line of columns is lightly bolstered, because those columns carry less compression under lateral load. The bolsters appear to be effective in controlling overstress of the sill plates, as we observed no indications of localized crushing due to compression perpendicular to grain.
  • Many of the large timber members have checks – radial cracks on the surface of the timber. The checks tend to be aligned with the longitudinal axes of the members, which suggests that the members have remarkably straight grain, another indication of high- quality material. Checks are not generally regarded as strength-reducing defects and do not require repair. Checks on the sides or bottoms of horizontal members and on any face over vertical or diagonally oriented members are able to drain freely when subjected to rain water.
  • The bridge deck consists of two crossing diagonal layers of timber planks. The upper layer uses tongue and groove planks that lock together and provide uniform support for the asphalt pavement. The lower layer has planks that are spaced to minimize trapping any water that might migrate through the asphalt wearing course and the upper layer. The two layers of planks, properly coupled to the longitudinal stringers along the edges of the deck, have the potential to form an effective diaphragm (a deep, flat beam) to resist out-of-plane loading. With proper drainage detailing, the bridge deck also acts as a roof to protect the superstructure and trestle towers from stormwater runoff.
  • Concrete piers supporting the timber trestles are in good condition. We observed no spalling or cracking. The piers provide uniform bearing support for the sill beams of the trestles.

Action Alert: Email the Coastal Commission Before 5 pm Friday, September 7

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Submitted by the Albion Bridge Stewards, a working group of ACAB

At its Wednesday, September 12 meeting in Fort Bragg, the California Coastal Commission will hear comment regarding Caltrans’ proposed geotechnical investigation development—the first destructive step toward tearing down the historic Albion River Bridge. We urge everyone concerned about Caltrans’ expensive, destructive, and unnecessary plans to email the coastal commission before 5 pm on Friday, September 7.

To comment on the plan, visit the Coastal Commission’s agenda page, and locate Item 10a. It’s called “Application No. 1-16-0899 (California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), Mendocino Co.)”.

At the end of the short description, you’ll find a “Submit Comment” link. This will create a new, blank email with the proper address and subject already filled out.

Or, simply send an email to: NorthCoast@coastal.ca.gov

With this subject:
Public Comment on September 2018 Agenda Item Wednesday 10a – Application No. 1-16-0899 (California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), Mendocino Co.)

Not sure what to say? Feel free to use the template below as a starting point. Cut and paste portions of it, or simply put things in your own words—even just a short, “Please deny this unnecessary application and help preserve the Albion River Bridge, not destroy it.”

I urge you to deny the Caltrans application to start on the slippery slope of replacing, for $91 million, the existing sound timber bridge with a wider and straighter concrete one just so the 2,100 cars per day that use it can go faster.

This “geotechnical investigation” development project is a Caltrans work program that is neither needed nor appropriate. As a result of the latest revisions, the project is only in the County’s Local Coastal Program permit jurisdiction, but Caltrans can’t meet the LCP’s standards and wants you to now side-step them.

Caltrans headquarters staff told the Albion community in a public meeting last November that the bridge is “safe” and, contrary to what District 1 staff has represented to you, that it is not “structurally deficient” or “functionally obsolete.” In the same vein, the photographs that Caltrans contributed to your staff report do not show any rigorous analysis of any “exponential decay” of the bridge, but rather splendidly make the community’s and the independent national timber experts recommendation that Caltrans needs to carry out a responsible and publicly transparent bridge maintenance program, with repairs as needed and the seismic retrofit completed.

The project is an exemplar of why we have a Coastal Act to protect this coast, its natural and human-made resources, and the workers in our coastal economy. To summarize the project is to list its blatant direct and cumulative Coastal Act inconsistencies.

The project:

  • Blocks public and worker access on Highway 1 to and along the coast and its many small visitor-serving establishments, to public Albion Cove beach, and to the recreational opportunities on and along the wild-and-scenic Albion River.
  • Preempts the County road for visitor-serving and local boating, lower cost camping, and fishing access at and from Albion Flat, to Albion Cove, the Pacific Ocean, and up the river.
    Removes not only hundreds of trees in the Coastal Commission certified blue heron rookery Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area at the northwest end of the bridge, but also their entire root system, with foreseeable destruction of the high and fragile bluffs that face Albion Cove and Albion River.
  • Proposes 70- to 125-foot deep drilling into the fractured and unstable earth and rocks on steep to very steep bluff slopes, most of which can only be reached by helicopter. One drilling location is a cultural site of pre-European peoples. and several drill sites are so close to the existing bridge timber towers, the Coastal Act priority visitor serving uses, Highway 1, the beach, and Albion village that Caltrans has to get an impossible approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, since – as you know – its action needs to be consistent with the federally approved Coastal Act and County LCP.
  • The project is clearly inconsistent with many of the mandatory Coastal Act standards, and hasn’t been properly presented to you for geographic jurisdictional reasons. The question, Commissioners, is whether you will uphold the Coastal Act and direct Caltrans to follow the rules, starting with doing an EIR and applying to the County.

Please do the only right thing: deny this coastal permit application. Thank you, for the coast.