State Route 154 Alamo Pintado Creek Pedestrian Bridge Project

ongoing

Caltrans will remove and replace the Alamo Pintado Creek Pedestrian Bridge (bridge number 51-0076Y) at post mile R2.6 on the south side of State Route 154 in the town of Los Olivos in Santa Barbara County. The project will also remove a retaining wall and install rock slope protection to protect the channel banks from erosion. The existing bridge structure is 92 feet long by 28 feet wide and spans the Alamo Pintado Creek. The Alamo Pintado Creek Pedestrian Bridge was constructed in 1912. In 1971, a new bridge structure—Alamo Pintado Creek Bridge (bridge number 51-0076Y)—was built upstream of the existing structure. The new bridge was built on a new alignment 40 feet upstream from the original structure. At that time, local citizens contacted the State to leave the 1912 structure so it could be used as a pedestrian/equestrian trail bridge. Concrete footing encasements were built around the pile caps of the existing structure. However, these encasements eventually became exposed and undermined. Today, the old Alamo Pintado Creek Pedestrian Bridge is used by pedestrians, bicyclists, and equestrians. Critical scour of the pile and pier foundation has caused settlement of the bridge deck. A bridge inspection on September 28, 2011 was used to prepare a Bridge Needs Report dated March 29, 2012. The report determined the abandoned bridge is no longer stable with respect to gravity load, and the bridge is sinking slowly at the supports. In the inspection report, recommendations were made to retrofit the bridge or simply remove the bridge. Since those recommendations were made, it has been determined that retrofitting the substructure would result in significant substructure modifications, including seismic retrofitting, scour mitigation, embankment armoring, and foundation retrofitting. The project would remove the abandoned Alamo Pintado Creek Pedestrian Bridge (bridge number 51-0076Y), remove the retaining wall next to the bridge, and place rock slope protection in that area. The bridge superstructure would be removed from above the creek, while the piers and foundation portion would be removed from below. Minor grading and embankment restoration would also be necessary within the proposed construction easement.