California Construction News staff writer
Construction is underway to replace three aging bridges on State Route 99 in Madera County.
The $36.8 million project received $26 million from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021 and $10 million from Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.
The Cottonwood Creek Bridge Replacement Project represents a partnership between Caltrans and the Madera County Transportation Commission. The project will replace the two existing two-lane bridges and one-lane offramp bridge that cross Cottonwood Creek along SR 99 south of Avenue 12. They will be a single, six-lane bridge for both northbound and southbound traffic. The project will provide future three-lane capacity for both southbound and northbound SR 99 and is expected to be completed in fall 2025.
SB 1 provides $5 billion in transportation funding annually that is shared equally between state and local agencies. Road projects progress through construction phases more quickly based on the availability of SB 1 funds, including projects that are partially funded by SB 1.
Since November 2021, California has received nearly $19 billion in federal infrastructure funding. That includes $14.8 billion in federal transportation funding to upgrade the state’s roads, bridges, rail, public transit, airports, electric vehicle charging network, ports and waterways. These transportation investments alone have already created more than 42,000 jobs.
