This $7.74 million project addressed long-standing congestion and safety concerns along a key corridor connecting Highway 190 to the City of Porterville’s commercial district.
Challenge
For years, a narrow two-lane stretch of Jaye Street over the Tule River created a bottleneck. To improve safety, traffic flow, and pedestrian and bicycle access, TRC designed both the widening of the bridge to four lanes and the connections to the local river walkway network. Originally funded in 2003, the project faced multiple delays, including environmental mitigation to protect a federally threatened insect species.
Solution
TRC played a key role in advancing the project to completion by providing a comprehensive bridge rehabilitation design. Key design elements included widening the bridge from 34 feet to 83 feet, constructing 5-foot-wide barrier-protected sidewalks on either side, and implementing scour countermeasures and seismic retrofit features to protect the existing bridge portion built in 1970.
Seismic protection included strengthening the existing abutments, addition of structure approach slabs, designing the new structure to support additional seismic loads, and regrading of the channel at the north end to lengthen bridge columns. To maintain irrigation facility function, a new cast-in-place concrete box culvert with headwalls was installed to convey Hubbs Minor Ditch beneath the bridge.
The addition of pile-supported retaining walls facilitated the relocation of the Tule River Parkway recreational trail underneath the bridge. Rehabilitative work also included deck repairs, application of a polyester concrete overlay to cover the deteriorated riding surface, and streetscape enhancement with decorative lighting, landscaping, and safety barriers.
Results
TRC collaborated with a multidisciplinary team including experts in roadway, hydraulic, geotechnical, traffic, environmental, electrical, landscape design, and construction staff. Coordination with city, state, and federal agencies ensured compliance with design standards, maintained traffic flow during construction, and secured $5.8 million in funding through the Federal Highway Bridge Program.
TRC was honored with the following awards for this project:
- 2019 Outstanding Structural Engineering Project Award from ASCE Region 9 at the Local, Sectional and Regional Levels
- 2019 TCAG Local Motion Outstanding Road Project of the Year
- 2019 APWA Central California Chapter Small Project of the Year
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