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INSIDE C ALI FORN IA’S OLDE ST NE W SPAPER
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VOLUME 171 • ISSUE 60 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2022
Mosquito Bridge replacement nears construction could start by June but potential nesting birds at the project site could push the groundbreaking another month. County staff will evaluate if this is the case but the project will start as soon as possible, according to Martinez. “I am extremely happy for the community of Swansboro to finally get the bridge they’ve wanted for so long and that we as the Department of Transportation were able to come through for them,” Martinez said. The county awarded
$93 million project biggest in county history
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Eric Jaramishian Staff writer The long-anticipated Mosquito Bridge replacement project is close to breaking ground. El Dorado County Department of Transportation Director Rafael Martinez told the Mountain Democrat construction is nearly set to begin this summer. Martinez said he hoped
the Mosquito Bridge replacement project to Shimmick Construction Company May 17, the nation’s 14th largest bridge contractor. Shimmick previously worked on improving Forebay Dam for the El Dorado Irrigation District in 2017. With an expected cost of more than $93 million and about a three-year construction timeline, Martinez told the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors at a Tuesday meeting the project would be the largest capital improvement project ■
Mountain Democrat file photo by Pat Dollins
The one-lane Mosquito Road Bridge — built in 1867 — gets about three weeks of See MOSQUITO BRIDGE, page A9 maintenance at a cost of about $75,000 each summer.
Courtesy rendering
Replacement of the Mt. Murphy Road Bridge in Coloma could begin in 2024.
Plans for new Mt. Murphy Bridge move forward Eric Jaramishian Staff writer Construction of a new Mt. Murphy Road Bridge could begin as soon as 2024. The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors approved the project's final environmental impact review May 17. Built in 1915 the bridge links Highway 49 and Mt. Murphy Road over the South Fork of the American River in Coloma. Jon Balzer with the El Dorado County Department of Transportation told the board Tuesday that the Mt. Murphy Road Bridge is one of the lowest-rated bridges PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
for safety of all countymaintained bridges. After doing an analysis on the bridge in 2014 it was determined that the bridge has functional and structural deficiencies. All structural components of the bridge would need replacing, essentially replacing the entire bridge, explained Balzer. Balzer gave details of the project and answered questions from supervisors regarding pedestrian safety. The proposed project would utilize truss tower portals with cables, have similar wood texturing and color tones and imitate the piers of the old bridge for a "historical" yet modern look for the bridge, Balzer said. The project will include a wooden walkway on the bridge and upgraded pedestrian crosswalk leading to the bridge for safety. When District 2 Supervisor George Turnboo asked what led the department to choose the design of the bridge, Department of Transportation ■
See MT. MURPHY BRIDGE, page A9
Mountain Democrat photo by Thomas Frey
Third-graders from Gold Oak School learn about pigs in a presentation from Janell Morgan with Frog Creek Farm Showpigs at Farm Day at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds May 11. Students from more than 40 classrooms across the county heard from more than 40 experts in different fields of agriculture.
Lessons in everything ag learned at Farm Day
More than 900 third graders made the trip to the El Dorado County Fairgrounds for the 20th Farm Day presented by El Dorado County Ag in the Classroom. During the opening ceremony Dr. Ed Manansala, county superintendent of schools, led students on the lawn by the Forni Building in a “I say farm, you say day” chant that got everyone excited and ready for the day. The day-long event aims to give youth hands-on lessons in agriculture. Students made their way through 46 presentations on topics including watersheds, forest management, irrigation, crops and livestock by folks from local
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Mountain Democrat photo by Thomas Frey
Sierra School students learn all about fruits and vegetables and where they come from while visiting the El Dorado County Master Gardeners’ Farm Day station. farms, the El Dorado Resource Conservation District, Amador-El Dorado Forest Forum, Apple Hill Growers Association and others, along with Future Farmers of America and
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4-H participants from Union Mine, Ponderosa and Gold Hill Toppers. “Farm Day allows the children, the future of El Dorado County, an educational hands-on exposure to learn
more about the local food, fiber and shelterproducing systems that exist in their own backyard,” said Avis Jolly, El Dorado County Ag in the Classroom past executive director.
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