Mt. Murphy Bridge closed for several months after crash. RVs stranded in Coloma resort

Rosalio Ahumada
·2 min read

The historic Mt. Murphy Bridge in Coloma remained closed Wednesday days after a vehicle crash that has stranded some RVs at an El Dorado County resort until at least early next week.

At noon on Monday, the Coloma Resort is organizing a caravan to escort out people who still need to leave the resort, according to the El Dorado County Roads Maintenance Division. The resort is coordinating the RV caravan with the El Dorado Sheriff’s Office and the county roads division.

The only routes in and out of the area are the one-lane Bayne Road, which is paved, and Mt. Murphy Road, which is dirt. County road officials said vehicles larger than 30 feet should not use these roads without a police escort, and only local residents are advised to use the narrow Bayne Road. Organizers asked RV owners who want to join the escorted caravan to call the resort before Monday.

The crash on Saturday caused severe structural damage to Mt. Murphy Bridge, after a vehicle crashed into one of the main columns of the bridge at “an excessive rate of speed,” county officials said. Officials said they are coordinating restoration plans, but they’re waiting on structural engineers to survey the bridge with specialized equipment that can detect damage not visible to the eye.

County officials said there’s no specific date for when repair work can be completed, but they estimated the bridge closure will last several months.

The roads division also was meeting with the Coloma Fire Department, the California Highway Patrol and the Sheriff’s Office to plan for potential emergencies during the bridge closure.

“We want the community to know that we are diligently working on this emergency,” county officials said in a Facebook post Tuesday. “We recognize this closure causes residents safety concerns and challenges, and we are doing our best to resolve this issue as safely and as quickly as possible.”

Levi Nuesmeyer, 37, of Placerville, suffered minor injuries when his 2022 Toyota Tundra hit the rail and column of the bridge early Saturday, the Mountain Democrat reported. Police arrested Nuesmeyer on suspicion of driving under the influence.