Main Street Bridge on Target for Spring 2014 Completion

Curious onlookers can be seen daily, watching as the new Main Street bridge takes shape over Murrieta Creek in Old Town Temecula.

Such was the case when massive, rust-colored steel components were recently delivered over a five-day period. Between Oct. 14 and Oct. 18, the main part of the bridge, its truss, arrived at the job site, according to Amer Attar, acting city engineer for the City of Temecula.

Construction for the most part has gone well since the obsolete 67-year-old bridge was demolished last spring, Attar said in an email to Patch. That is with the exception of a several-week delay when the pile footings—weight-bearing aspects that secure the bridge in place—had to be redesigned, he said.

“Due to differing subsurface site conditions, the originally specified precast concrete piles were deemed unsuitable for use in this application,” Attar said. “This necessitated a redesign of the footings, which, along with the time required to procure material for the new footing design, resulted in a several-week delay in construction."

The project is set for a spring 2014 completion date, which is on target with the city’s initial projections, he said; however, there is not yet a scheduled opening date, he told Patch.

“There are always issues during the construction of any project, and this job is no exception,” Attar said.

So as construction continues, detours will remain in effect for another several months before the bridge makes its debut.

The $4.77-million project—95-percent funded by federal grant money—is being led by general contractor, Granite Construction.

The bridge is compatible with phase 2 of the Murrieta Creek Flood Control Project, which due to its magnitude is under the jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers, a federal agency.

The single-span bridge removes obstructions in the creek, reducing flooding potential, according to city officials.

It will also aesthetically enhance Old Town while providing wider, separate pedestrian access as well as pedestrian viewpoints of the creek below.

According to Attar, the redesign of the footings required a change order that will increase the overall project budget.

"We are still working with the contractor on finalizing the numbers," Attar said. "The city expects to recover the cost of this change through a project allotment increase from the Federal Highway Bridge Program, which is funding most of this project."