Highway 132 Near Bonds Flat Back Open After Major Culvert Replacement
Sonora, CA — A stretch of Mother Lode highway that closed for major repairs just after Labor Day has reopened ahead of schedule with a new look.
Caltrans officials confirm that Highway 132 east of Bonds Flat Road in Tuolumne County is back in action, now freshly paved, striped and safety-checked.
It was previously supposed to open tomorrow and was out of operation since Sept. 5 due to the necessary replacement of a huge 100-foot by ten-foot culvert that was among numerous highway-related casualties relating to last March’s devastating storms. The project was deferred until after the summer tourist season ended in order to minimize economic impacts to the area.
The work scope included digging up and removing the damaged culvert that was buried 100 feet below the road, and replacing it with a concrete culvert of the same dimensions made up of ten-foot sections, each weighing 33 tons. To view images of the process and the finished work, click into the image box slideshow.
