Portion of Hwy. 70 in downtown Marysville reopens after hotel fire, worries of building collapse

Southbound lanes of Highway 70 — downtown Marysville’s E Street — reopened Thursday more than a month after a fire destroyed the former Hotel Marysville, Caltrans announced.

The highway agency lifted barriers for southbound lanes from Third to Sixth Street to allow traffic to resume to south Yuba County destinations and onto Roseville and Sacramento. Detours remain on the northbound lanes that have been blocked since the June 15 blaze. Traffic had been directed away from the compromised building due to fears that the five-story structure, which had stood vacant since the 1980s, might collapse.

Marysville city officials have filed a lawsuit against the building’s owner, Feather River Plaza LLC, to establish responsibility and pin future costs on the syndicate, according to the Marysville Appeal-Democrat.

Caltrans said southbound lanes were able to reopen after an engineering firm hired by the city determined that only the former hotel’s fifth floor was at risk of crumbling after initial reports suggested the entire building could collapse from wind load, among other factors.

The transportation department put up a series of 10-foot debris barriers at the base of the building so that southbound lanes could safely be reopened, effectively improving traffic conditions and access to local businesses in the area, Caltrans said.

“Safety is the department’s highest priority,” said Sergio Aceves, Caltrans District 3’s acting director. “At the same time, economic prosperity in our communities is vitally important. Reopening the southbound lanes will relieve some pressure off businesses effected by the closure and hopefully return some normalcy to their operations.”

It’s not clear when northbound traffic on E Street will be allowed. Traffic controls sending motorists east on Third Street to B Street for points north remain in place.