Project Profile: South Fork Smith River Road

South Fork Smith River Road is a $11 million bridge replacement project located in Crescent City, CA near the town of Hiouchi, CA, being developed for the US Department of Transportation, Central Federal Land Highway Division.

Utilizing a Construction Management/General Contractor (CM/GC) delivery method, this project includes the replacement of the existing 1948 George E. Tryon steel arch bridge with a new 231-ft concrete arch bridge and approaches. The springing arch main span is 141-ft and crosses the south fork of the Smith River at approximately 65 feet above the river. The arch footings are cast into the natural rock outcroppings of the canyon walls and are founded with concrete micropiles. Flatiron developed an innovative erection method for the concrete arches by suspending the arch falsework on high-strength rods.

This project includes the bridge, a 500-ft long northern approach, a 200-ft long southern approach, and the reconstruction of Douglas Park Drive to the west. During removal of the existing bridge and construction of the new bridge, a minimum of one lane of traffic will be maintained. The footprint of the new bridge is only slightly larger than the existing bridge, requiring staged removal and staged concrete arch construction.

Construction on the South Fork Smith River Road project began in June 2015 and is scheduled for completion in May 2017.