Get ready for more traffic delays on Eastside Road in south Redding after the Olney Creek Bridge replacement project is finished in early 2027.
Pacific Gas & Electric crews will come in to replace a gas transmission line, PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno said.
“PG&E crews and contractors will install a new gas transmission line starting in early February and lasting approximately four months. One-way traffic controls and occasional road closures will be in effect during work hours,” Moreno said in an email to the Record Searchlight.
Moreno said the work will go from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. He added, “there’s a possibility of some night and weekend work.”
The on-again, off-again Olney Creek Bridge project was launched in May 2023 and was expected to be completed in December 2024.
But the project encountered delays, some caused by unexpected issues, said Nick Visconti, construction manager in the city’s public works department.
“Some of the project delays have been attributed to difficulty in obtaining materials due to longer than normal lead times, encountering unanticipated contaminated soils, preparing remediation and removal plans and completing the work and contractual and permit issues related to working in proximity to the railroad,” Visconti said in an email to the newspaper in early August.
Most of the work is being done during weekdays, which has caused traffic delays along that stretch of Eastside Road, just south of the Highway 273-South Bonnyview Road intersection.
Traffic has been reduced to one lane in the area, and vehicles traveling north and south are piloted via temporary traffic signals.
He expects the project to be finished in February 2027.
The project’s initial cost was $3.7 million, but the price tag has gone up by about $1.1 million because of the delays, Visconti said.
“The city anticipates all eligible construction costs to be funded through Caltrans with a federal grant share of 88.3% and city share of 11.7%,” he has said.
Moreno said PG&E will also put in a gas distribution line at the bridge and nearby near the end of this year. Work is expected to take two to three weeks.
David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly “Buzz on the Street” column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: South Redding to face more traffic delays after bridge work
Reporting by David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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By David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
