Pit River Bridge, a major West Coast freight artery on I-5 in California, may be replaced

…California highway officials are making plans to either repair or replace the Pit River Bridge over Lake Shasta, considered one of the most important bridges on the West Coast.

The 81-year-old bridge, which carries an average 19,400 vehicles a day, is a major freight hauling route not only for trucking on Interstate 5, but also for rail transportation, according to Caltrans.

"The vast majority of all the goods and freight moved on the West Coast, go across that bridge," said Dale Widner, who is managing the plans to replace the bridge.

About 36% of the vehicle traffic on the bridge is big rigs hauling freight, more than twice the average truck traffic for similar bridges, Widner said. Freight traffic on typical highway bridges is 10% to 15% of total volume, he said.

But the federal government no longer wants to own the bridge, which was built during the construction of Shasta Dam during the late 1930s and early 40s and is still owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The bureau wants to divest itself from the bridge by 2040. So Caltrans needs a new highway bridge built by then, Widner said.

Construction to either upgrade the current bridge or build a new bridge across Lake Shasta near the current Pit River Bridge — likely won't begin until at least 2035.

But plans and studies are already being drawn up on what to do with the current bridge, he said.

Caltrans' first choice would be to upgrade the current bridge, to widen it and straighten out the sharp curves at the north and south ends of the 3,600-foot span.

But that may not work because Lake Shasta is so deep where the current span crosses the lake, Widner said.




Caltrans has drawn up three designs of a bridge to replace the Interstate 5 highway portion of the Pit River Bridge over Lake Shasta.


The current span also is narrow, compared to other bridges over the lake, such as the Antlers Bridge, he said. It also would be difficult to keep lanes of the bridge open while the existing bridge is widened, he said.

The original bridge was built before Lake Shasta filled with water.

When the lake is full, more than 350 feet of the bridge footings are under water. There are few, if any, bridge piers anywhere in the world that are as deep under water as the Pit River Bridge, he said….








Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/pit-river-bridge-major-west-170013641.html









This bridge is a fairly unique structure. It is 3600 feet long. It’s a double decker bridge. On the bottom level us railroad tracks for Union Pacific railroad shared by Amtrak. The upper is Interstate 5 north south between Canada and Mexico on the west coast. Between truck and train the vast majority of the freight traveling on the west coast goes over this bridge.

 

The Bridge is on I-5 over Shasta Lake 15 miles north of Redding half way between San Diego and Seattle. It’s concrete supports are over 400 feet tall. A replacement bridge will cost between 2-4 billion dollars. It is the real double decker bridge in the top picture just north of the Bridge Bay marina and resort on the lake.

 

I can only wish that the lake looks like that right now! It is nice to sit on the deck at the restaurant there and look at the boats on the lake below, the mountains, and trains and traffic on the bridge nearby go by.

 

That's a very pretty place!

It's hard to grasp that California can be mountainous conifer forests. If only it was all like that!

 

Outside of the upper Sacramento Valley most of far north inland California is just that. The Trinity Alps and coastal mountain range to the west, Mt. Shasta and the cascades foothills to the north and Mt Lassen and the Sierra Nevada foothills to the east. Lots of rivers, lakes, waterfalls, scenic vistas, recreation, national forests. The top portion of the state is loaded with what you describe. We are pretty much an extention of Idaho, eastern Washington and southern Oregon. Here’s more: https://www.shastacascade.com/about-us

 

Sounds glorious. My favourite kind of landscape.

 

Absolutely beautiful area, shame it's in California.

 

Its seems too clean and civilised!

 

It may look that way, but oppressive government is ever present there even if you can't see it.

 

I live at the top of the valley with the scene in the photo 15 miles to the north the Shasta national forest, the Lassen national forest 20 miles to the east, and the woods of the western foothills and the hills themselves a part of the western portion of the city. We have such preserved forest along the Sacramento River in the middle of the city. We are tree city USA and the other “River City”.

 

The people who live in the far north up here voted for Trump by 2-1 to 5-1 margins.

 

We are very interested in the Greater Idaho movement in Oregon and joining it. We openly defied the state during the pandemic from day one. We are far enough away from the coastal population centers and thinly populated enough that they usually ignore us. We are 2A sanctuary counties here

 

Here’s where to watch Fourth of July fireworks, parades and events in the North State
Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight
Sat, June 25, 2022, 7:00 AM·4 min read


The North State celebrates Independence Day with music, parades, festivals and fireworks.

Here are events happening through July 4, and tips how best to enjoy them from event planners.

Times and venues may change, so check websites provided before you go.

Redding celebrates Fourth of July at 'Freedom Festival'



https://news.yahoo.com/where-watch-fourth-july-fireworks-140024183.html






We wear our patriotism on our sleave up here!