O'Byrnes Ferry Road Bridge Closer To Upgrade

Calaveras County has secured $7.5 million in federal funds to upgrade or replace the O'Byrnes Ferry Road Bridge to better accommodate the rapid growth of the area.

The bridge has linked Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties for nearly 50 years. Rob Houghton, Calaveras County Public Works Director, said the bridge, built by Tri Dam in 1957 as part of the Tulloch Resevoir project, is too narrow to handle today's traffic, let alone the cars and trucks that will come as Copperopolis continues to grow. The bridge has just two 11-foot travel lanes and no shoulders. Current standards call for 12-foot lane widths and 8-foot shoulders.

Under the current bridge design, the state Department of Transportation considers the bridge “functionally obsolete,” Houghton said.

Other News

• Reaching out into the Wildlands
• Michael Lee Harris - Sheriff Office´s "Most Wanted" 
• Russell Allen Lee, Jr. - Sonora Police Department´s "Most Wanted" 
• Vietnam Veterans Post #391 Hosts First Sonora Stand Down 
• T.U.D. Announces Temporary Road Closure
• 2008 Community Indicators Project; Motor Vehicle Safety 
• President Bush Talks To The Motherlode About The Wall Street Rescue Package
• Supervisors To Hold First Meetings Of The Month 
• TUD To Begin Ditch Maintenance
• Walkers Brave Rain For Fitness Challenge 

Click here to search the local News Stories

Get the news delivered to your mailbox. See all the day's local news at once without having to click through the site. Find out more by clicking [here].