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Mountain Democrat, Friday, May 31, 2024

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C ALI FORN IA’S OLDE ST NE W SPAPER

– E S T. 18 51

– Weekend Edition – mtdemocrat.com

FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024

MARBLE VALLEY & LIME ROCK

Projects inching forward

VOLUME 173 • ISSUE 60 | $1.00

HALFWAY THERE

Eric Jaramishian Staff writer

Two large residential projects between El Dorado Hills and Shingle Springs briefly returned to the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors’ agenda last week. Board members approved the latest contract amendments with ICF Jones Stokes Inc., the consultant tasked with preparing ■ See PROJECTS, page A9

Grizzly Flat tiny homes are a go Eric Jaramishian Staff writer

With five simple “ayes” from the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors, the new ordinance which will allow certain Grizzly Flat property owners to build small dwelling units after losing their home during the Caldor Fire, goes into effect June 20. This means those living in Grizzly Flat who were under-insured and/or uninsured will be able to build tiny homes on their property, free of construction fees. Those interested will still have to apply for building permits. County

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■ See TINY HOMES, page A10

Mountain Democrat photos by Odin Rasco

Two 270-ton cranes loom over the Mosquito Bridge Replacement Project, as viewed from the north end of the project where the new bridge will connect to an existing stretch of Mosquito Road. The bridge is the biggest capital project ever undertaken in El Dorado County history, with the $93 million total cost set to be fully covered by federal funds.

Mosquito Bridge project taking shape Odin Rasco Staff writer

The Mosquito Road Bridge Replacement Project has officially hit the halfway mark, with construction progress now easily spotted by onlookers as support columns begin to stretch skyward. Breaking ground in September 2022, work to this point has largely been setting the literal and figurative groundwork for the ambitious project, such as carving out pier walls and placing temporary trellises that currently support the 270-ton cranes that aid in the heavy lifting on either side of the canyon. After repeated weather delays, footings for the bridge’s two main support pillars were poured in April. The footings were a massive undertaking, pouring close to 1,100 cubic feet of concrete — about 120 full concrete trucks’ worth — at the pillar bases on the project’s north and south sides. “The first year of progress was underground work, so it was hard to

Workers atop the southern support column form place a platform into the hollow center of the structure with the help of a crane. The green squares seen around the perimeter of the structure are funnels used to help direct concrete poured by a crane bucket from above, as the top of the form is still too low to be reached by concrete pipes. see what had been done,” El Dorado County Department of Transportation Senior Civil Engineer Aradhana Kochar said. “We just recently hit our half-done mark on the project timeline, with the bridge slated to be done in late 2025 or in 2026, depending on weather delays.” The new bridge

takes the title as the biggest capital project ever constructed in county history with a price tag of $93 million, according to information from the county DOT. Because of funding acquired through the federal Highway Bridge Program, the full cost of the undertaking is set to be reimbursed to the

county. The next step of the process involves a mix of hurry up and wait. Crews work quickly to place frames and pour sections of the north and south support columns, then wait days for the concrete to cool and cure. If the concrete temperatures fall out of an acceptable range while setting, it

could lead to thermal cracking that would notably impact the structural sufficiency of the bridge support. In order to avoid such issues, temperature sensors are placed within the concrete as it is poured, allowing the crew to monitor progress during the ■ See BRIDGE, page A5

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