Deck of old Porter Creek bridge being demolished. (Cindy Rader / Sonoma County)

Traffic shifted to the spans of the Porter Creek Bridge on Oct. 3, and demolition of the old bridge began the next day. Bridge Engineer Cindy Rader was there to document the progress.

Porter Creek Road has become a major east/west route for traffic crossing the Mayacamas between Calistoga and Santa Rosa, carrying 7,300 vehicles a day. The bridge was built in 1935 and has undergone number of minor modifications over the years to strengthen it, said Tom O’Kane, deputy director of Sonoma County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works. Even so, the bridge had a sufficiency rating of 4 out of 100.

The project is scheduled to be completed in May or June 2014. The Porter Creek Bridge replacement project was initiated in the early 1990s and took 21 years to receive construction funding from Caltrans.

Read this Road Warrior post to see the new girders being delivered.

Changes and closures at Airport Boulevard/Hwy. 101 

On Monday night, Oct. 21, Caltrans will open a new southbound U.S. 101 off-ramp to Airport Boulevard that will only allow a right turn in the westbound direction toward the Sonoma County Airport. It is a temporary configuration that will remain in effect until a new bridge is constructed in late spring or early summer 2014. Motorists who need to turn east will be asked to exit at Shiloh Road, turn left on Shiloh Road, turn right on Old Redwood Highway and continue to Airport Boulevard.

Full freeway closures at Highway 101 and Airport Blvd. have been scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 23-Sunday, Oct. 26, as crews install falsework for a new bridge. Falsework is a temporary structure that will support the components of a bridge during construction. Closure hours are:

Southbound Hwy. 101, 11 p.m.-5 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Motorists will be detoured to Shiloh Road and instructed to turn left, then right on Old Redwood Highway and right on Fulton Road. Both on-ramp and off-ramp will be closed at this time.

Northbound Hwy.  101, 11:59 p.m.-6 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Motorists will be detoured to Fulton Road, routed to Old Redwood Highway and then to the Shiloh Road on-ramp.  The northbound loop on-ramp to Airport Boulevard will also be closed during this time.

Here’s construction information from elsewhere throughout the North Coast, courtesy of Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbee:

Lake County

Route 53 (2.6/7.4) ‐ Highway widening and rehabilitation from Crawford Avenue to the junction of Routes 20/53 will continue.  Work hours are 6:30AM to 6PM, weekdays.  One-way traffic control will be in effect.  Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.  Contractor ‐ Teichert Construction of Davis.  LC#C53AA

Route 175 (24.0/27.8) ‐ AT&T of Santa Rosa has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit for utility repairs from Anderson Springs Road to Santa Clara Street.  Work hours are 7AM to 4PM, weekdays.  One-way traffic control will be in effect.  Motorists should anticipate 5-minute delays.  LC#P175BA

Mendocino County

Route 1 (3.2/42.4) ‐ Guardrail repairs at various locations from Pirates Drive to Navarro Ridge Road will continue through Friday, October 18.  Work hours are 7AM to 7PM, weekdays.  One-way traffic control will be in effect.  Motorists should anticipate 5-minute delays.  Contractor ‐ Coral Construction of Wilsonville.  LC#C1EA

Route 1 (33.4/33.9) ‐ Replacement of the Greenwood Creek Bridge will continue.  One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.  Motorists should anticipate 5-minute delays.  Contractor ‐ Golden State Bridge, Incorporated of Martinez.  LC#C1AA

Route 1 (40.9/43.7) ‐ Pavement repairs from 0.6 mile north of the junction of Routes 1/128 to the Albion River Bridge will continue.  Work hours are 7AM to 5PM, weekdays.  One-way traffic control will be in effect.  Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.  Contractor ‐ Granite Construction of Ukiah.  LC#C1EB

Route 1 (92.6/93.0) ‐ Replacement of a culvert with a bridge at Dunn Creek will continue.  One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.  Motorists should anticipate 5-minute delays.  Contractor ‐ Shasta Construction of Redding.  LC#C1FA

Route 101 (4.5/5.0) ‐ Caltrans will perform slide repairs near the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge (near Frog Woman Rock).  Northbound traffic will be restricted to one lane 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.  Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.  LC#M101GA

Route 101 (11.0) ‐ Destination Hopland has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit to hold the Hopland Passport event on Saturday and Sunday, October 19 and 20, from 11AM to 5PM.  Brief intermittent closures will be in effect to allow for pedestrian crossing.  Motorists should anticipate 5-minute delays. LC#P101GA

Route 101 (40.4/41.2) ‐ Northern Aggregates, Inc. of Willits has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit to add turn lanes just south of Black Bart.  Work hours are 7AM to 3PM, weekdays.  Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel.  Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.   LC#P101FB

Route 101 (48.3/48.8) ‐ PG&E of Santa Rosa has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit for utility repairs just north of the UPP Creek Bridge.  Work hours are 7AM to 4PM, weekdays.  One-way traffic control will be in effect.  Motorists should anticipate 5-minute delays.  LC#P101GA

Route 128 (20.1) ‐ Navarro Ranch of Philo has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit to install a driveway near Philo Greenwood Road.  Work hours are 8AM to 4PM, weekdays.  One-way traffic control will be in effect.  Motorists should anticipate 5-minute delays.  LC#P128BA

Del Norte County

Route 101 (4.0) ‐ Bridge repair work at the G. H. Douglas Memorial Bridge will continue.  One-way traffic control will be in effect with temporary signal 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Motorists should anticipate 5-minute delays. To aid in construction, the traffic lane has been narrowed to 10.5 feet through Friday, October 18. Transportation permit holders may be affected. Contractor ‐ Bulger Construction of Pleasanton. LC#C101MB

Route 101 (15.2/15.4) ‐ Slipout repairs 1.5 miles north of Rudisill Road will continue. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.  Motorists should anticipate 5-minute delays.  Contractor ‐ CalEx of Newhall. LC#C101HB

Humboldt County

Route 36 (37.7/38.6) ‐ Federal Highway Administration of Lakewood, CO has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit for drainage work from Burr Valley Road to 1 mile east of Burr Valley Road with work continuing. Work hours are 7:30AM to 5:30PM, weekdays. One-way traffic control in effect.  Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.  LC#P36BA

Route 96 (13.2/16.8) ‐ Paving from the Hostler Creek Bridge to the Rock Chute Viaduct will continue. Work hours are 7AM to 7PM, weekdays. One-way traffic control in effect.  Motorists should anticipate 20-minute delays.  Contractor ‐ Tidewater Contractors, Incorporated. LC#C96BA

Route 101 (15.5) ‐ Drainage work 1.2 miles north of the Elmer Hurlbut Memorial Bridge will continue.  Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.  Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. LC#C101RB

Route 101 (64.3)  Ramp paving at the Fernbridge/Ferndale Exit (Exit 692) will begin on Monday, October 21. Work hours are 7AM to 6PM, weekdays. There will be intermittent full ramp closures during work hours. No two consecutive onramps or offramps will be closed at the same time. Motorists will be advised to seek an alternate route.  LC#C211BA

Route 101 (79.7/87.8) ‐ A paving project from Eureka Slough Bridge to Arcata Overhead Bridge will continue.  Nighttime work hours are 7PM to 7AM, Sunday night through Friday morning. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Motorists are advised to watch for bicyclists. There will be intermittent full ramp closures during nighttime work hours at the Route 255/Arcata/Sunny Brea Exit (Exit 713), 14th Street Exit (Exit 714A), and Sunset Avenue Exit (Exit 714/714B). No two consecutive onramps or offramps will be closed at the same time. Motorists will be advised to seek an alternate route, and may experience minor delays. Contractor ‐ Mercer Fraser Company of Eureka.  LC#C101NB

Route 211 (74.3/79.2) ‐ A paving project from Market Street to the Junction 101/211 Separation Bridge will continue.  Work hours are 7AM to 7PM, weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect.  Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Beginning 7AM on Monday, October 21, there will be intermittent full ramp closures during work hours at the junction with Route 101 at the Fernbridge Drive/Route 101/211 Separation. No two consecutive onramps or offramps will be closed at the same time. Motorists will be advised to seek an alternate route.  LC#C211BA

Route 254 (10.4/12.3) ‐ Drainage work from the Elk Creek Bridge to Route 101-Myers Flat Separation will continue. Beginning Monday, October 21 at 7AM, one-way traffic control will be in effect. Work hours are 7AM to 7PM, weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays LC#C254BA

Route 254 (13.5/21.0)  Six Rivers Running Club of Arcata has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit to hold the 35th Annual Humboldt Redwoods Marathon from Williams Grove to just north of Bull Creek Road on Sunday, October 20 from 8:30AM to 4PM.  During event hours this portion of Route 254 will be closed, and will be open to local traffic only.  Motorists are advised to use an alternate route and may experience minor delays.  LC#P254CA

Route 254 (22.0/23.0) ‐ Drainage work from 0.5 north to 0.5 miles south of High Rock Conservation Camp will continue beginning 7AM on Wednesday, October 23. There will be a full highway closure. Motorists will be advised to seek an alternate route. Contractor ‐ Mercer Fraser Company.  LC#C254DA

Route 254 (39.6/41.1) ‐ Drainage work from Sorenson Road to Holmes Flat Road will continue. Work hours are 7AM to 7PM, weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect.  Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor ‐ Mercer Fraser Company.  LC#C254DA

Route 255 (0.2/1.8) ‐ Bridge deck repairs at the Meyer Bistrin, Carl L. Christensen, and Richard R. Denbo Memorial Samoa Bridges will continue. Work hours are 6AM to 6PM, weekdays.  One-way traffic control will be in effect.  Motorists should anticipate 5-minute delays. LC#C255CA

Route 299 (1.5/41.6) ‐ Guardrail work at various locations from just west of the Thomas L. DeVore Memorial Bridge to just west of Martin Road will continue. Work hours are 5AM to 8PM, weekdays.  On two-lane sections of highway one-way traffic control will be in effect, otherwise traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists should anticipate 5-minute delays. Contractor ‐ Apex Fence Company of Anderson.  LC#C299GA

Route 299 (1.5/1.6) ‐ Bridge work at the Thomas L. DeVore Memorial Bridge will continue. Work hours are 7AM to 3PM, weekdays.  Eastbound traffic will be restricted to one lane.  Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Contractor ‐ FD Thomas of Medford. LC#C299HA

Route 299 (8.3/8.7) ‐ Slide repairs from 0.9 to 1.3 miles east of SMT Road will continue.  Work hours are 7AM to 5PM, weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor ‐ G R Sundberg, Inc. of Arcata.  LC#C299AA

Route 299 (20.1/21.0) ‐ Highway repairs from 0.6 miles west to 0.3 miles east of Chezem Road will continue.  One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Motorists should anticipate 5-minute delays. Contractor ‐ Mercer Fraser Company of Eureka.  LC#C299FA

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