Plans advance for new Seventh Street Bridge in Modesto. When might you drive on it?
Plans are coming together for a new Seventh Street Bridge over the Tuolumne River in Modesto, replacing one dating to 1916.
Construction could start in the summer of next year and take until fall 2025, under the latest timeline from the city and Stanislaus County Public Works. Detailed engineering and right-of-way purchases are happening this year.
The current bridge provides just two lanes for motor vehicles and narrow sidewalks for pedestrians and bicyclists. It has had a 4-ton limit since 1979 because of its condition, about a 10th of a typical semi-truck load.
The new bridge will have four lanes for cars and trucks, and more room for pedestrians and bicyclists. The project also includes improved connections to Crows Landing Road on the south and B Street and Tuolumne Boulevard on the north.
A federal bridge program will cover most of the $64.5 million cost, county Public Works Director David Leamon said by email Friday.
The construction will require detours from the current bridge, which will be demolished when its replacement is done. Some residents had urged restoration of the landmark instead, but the planners said that was not practical.
The north end also will have a plaza overlooking the Tuolumne River Regional Park. It will feature two of the lion sculptures that long graced the original span but are now crumbling.
The new bridge will be made of concrete and have eight arches across its 1,238 feet. The old one is a design known as “cantilevered concrete,” which was innovative a century ago.
More details on the project’s estimated cost and funding:
The bridge itself, minus the north and south connections, will cost $56.1 million. The federal program will cover 88.5% of this. The city and county will split the rest.
The county will spend another $3.7 million to redo the intersection of Seventh Street and Crows Landing Road. It is now a Y-shaped junction with tricky movements for drivers. The project will bring traffic signals. The money will come from state and federal sources and the local Measure L sales tax.
The city will cover the $4.7 million cost of improving Seventh Street’s connection to B Street and Tuolumne Boulevard. It also will upgrade the busy Union Pacific Railroad crossing at this spot. The money will come from fees on developers.
The right-of-way purchases will be aided by Nossaman LLP, a national law firm with a few offices in California. The county Board of Supervisors approved a $718,765 contract with the firm Tuesday, Jan. 11.
The project has support from Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock. He mentioned it in a Jan. 13 letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
“Until this bridge is fixed, the majority-Latino community of south Modesto will continue to lack a convenient and safe route for pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles to the rest of the city,” Harder wrote.
He also said the next Highway 132 project near Modesto would be a good use of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package enacted in November.
A two-lane 132 bypass is nearing completion between Highway 99 and Dakota Road. Future phases would make it four lanes as far west as Gates Road.
