Angeles Crest Highway (CA-2)
[ill informed rant]
This is ridiculous. Someone managed to bring all of the girders up to Vincent Gap with no problems. I don't know what exactly went wrong but I'd sure bet that they were not using the same transport/rigging setup. Caltrans certainly has the responsibility to review/comment/approve of the transport method. It's their responsibility to ensure the contractor they hire is competent. Stop being cheap and stupid.
[/rant]
This is ridiculous. Someone managed to bring all of the girders up to Vincent Gap with no problems. I don't know what exactly went wrong but I'd sure bet that they were not using the same transport/rigging setup. Caltrans certainly has the responsibility to review/comment/approve of the transport method. It's their responsibility to ensure the contractor they hire is competent. Stop being cheap and stupid.
[/rant]
Wow, major biff!
And, it was only the first one they tried to move. I'd bet some designer is now questioning the wisdom of using 200 ft long girders being moved into place in the moutains.
Hope the contractor has a good bond/insurance and doesn't just BK and walk away from the job. They have a $4000 per day late fine.
Let's see 6 months at $4k/day ...wait...carry the three.....
$720k, that's gonna eat a bit of profit, eh?
And, it was only the first one they tried to move. I'd bet some designer is now questioning the wisdom of using 200 ft long girders being moved into place in the moutains.
Hope the contractor has a good bond/insurance and doesn't just BK and walk away from the job. They have a $4000 per day late fine.
Let's see 6 months at $4k/day ...wait...carry the three.....
$720k, that's gonna eat a bit of profit, eh?
We are becoming the USSR, day by sorry day!Hikin_Jim wrote:Jackhammer it to pieces? Surely, there's a better way.
Nunc est bibendum
-
FIGHT ON
can't help it. so much complaining. Watch when the road is finally opened. The new complaint topic will be about the added traffic and less solitude.
cracks me up.
cracks me up.
That's probably true, lol. Personally, living on the east side, the road closure has kept me from many dayhikes because it adds at least 4 hours driving time (roundtrip) AND there's a few short hikes that aren't accessible unless you make them a long hike (ex. Throop Peak). I don't always have time for an "alldayer". Not to mention I'd like to make the drive out to Newcomb's for a burger and a beer (driving the crest to get there is half the fun).FIGHT ON wrote:can't help it. so much complaining. Watch when the road is finally opened. The new complaint topic will be about the added traffic and less solitude.
cracks me up.
IMO the road is more about work for contractors than keeping a functioning road open....
Competence not needed
Just wait until they start working on Highway 39!
According to the Forest Service the work on the road (hwy 39) and the road itself will have minimal environmental impact -Have at it!-
Competence not needed
Just wait until they start working on Highway 39!
According to the Forest Service the work on the road (hwy 39) and the road itself will have minimal environmental impact -Have at it!-
39? Sheesh. Can you say "boondoggle?" What a waste. It won't even stay open one season.mattmaxon wrote:IMO the road is more about work for contractors than keeping a functioning road open....
Competence not needed
Just wait until they start working on Highway 39!
According to the Forest Service the work on the road (hwy 39) and the road itself will have minimal environmental impact -Have at it!-
I think that's the idea. Annual contracts for all our most generous political donors.Hikin_Jim wrote:39? Sheesh. Can you say "boondoggle?" What a waste. It won't even stay open one season.
Except we can't afford it anymore.
Nunc est bibendum
Are they REALLY gonna try and open up 39?
It'd just be bad news for the rest of ACH as all those slobs get farther.
I thought it was a permanent closure.
I know it still goes thru, USFS and Fire have been using it, though I think it's only 1 lane and a lot of rockfall.
It'd just be bad news for the rest of ACH as all those slobs get farther.
I thought it was a permanent closure.
I know it still goes thru, USFS and Fire have been using it, though I think it's only 1 lane and a lot of rockfall.
Yep.Rumpled wrote:Are they REALLY gonna try and open up 39?
http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist07/Publicatio ... php?id=283
I was camping on Pacifico Mtn earlier in the year when a Cal-trans vehicle came up and 2 guys got out to make cell phone calls.Rumpled wrote:Are they REALLY gonna try and open up 39?
It'd just be bad news for the rest of ACH as all those slobs get farther.
I thought it was a permanent closure.
I know it still goes thru, USFS and Fire have been using it, though I think it's only 1 lane and a lot of rockfall.
I talked with them and they said they where out doing preliminary survey work for the project.
They won't be doing cut and fill this time but building via-ducts to cross the slide areas
I thought they lost the fund for this I said ? Nope ...we got it, it is going to be done.
I remember hearing a while back Cal-Trans wanted to remove the state highway designation from the San Gabriel Canyon portion of SR-39 and turn it over to the county, the county declined the very generous offer
Perhaps it is a similar situation to old highway 118 (foothill blvd) in Sunland Tujunga where the city didn't want the responsibility for foothill blvd until the state made improvements to it...
Cheers
Matt
Back to Hwy 2: evidently they got on the ball and got the fallen girder removed from ACH already, but they also removed a bunch of other construction supplies, including the office shed, which insinuates that they're probably done messing with the project until spring. 
Yes, but there are 5 more (yet undamaged) girders sitting there waiting to be put in place also. So there was talk on the Wrightwood forum that they might try to go ahead and continue setting those up, but it doesn't look like it.Rumpled wrote:The replacement girder will apparently take months to make, putting the project on hold till spring.
Boy, it changes everyday (from today on the Wrightwood forum):"Looks like Caltrans/Contractor has made a decision to proceed with the bridge construction. The contractor is currently loading up one of the 200 foot girder sections and will be moving it in place ASAP. There are now 2 - 500 ton cranes on site again.
The damaged girder sections have been poured and curing."
Wrightwood web camsRumpled wrote:Is it snowing up there? It rained down here.
Big Pines RAWS
Wundermap
Mtn High web cams
Also, http://71.116.210.254/webcam/webcam.JPG
Camera from the Baldy SKI lodge, the one at the notch. Looks towards Telegraph Peak's NW Face, and Thunder Ski Runs.
Camera from the Baldy SKI lodge, the one at the notch. Looks towards Telegraph Peak's NW Face, and Thunder Ski Runs.
More news, from a reliable person who's also a mod at the WW forum:
"A New Trucking Company has been brought in to move the girders and Contruction on HWY 2 has resumed!
I talked with Dan today. He is in charge of moving the girders. They are working feverishly to get the girders in and in place by the end of this week. Dan told me they have come up with a better idea for moving the girders so as to prevent what happened a few weeks ago. He said the first one will take the longest as they want to get it right and will be extra careful. He hopes they will get faster with experience and perhaps get 2 girders a day in place. He said the damaged girder has already been replaced with a brand new one and is waiting to be transported through Wrightwood to be assembled at Vincent Gap like the others were. He gave the impression that they would move the girders to Vincent Gap fairly soon as soon as they moved the 5 other girders into place at the construction zone.
I also talked to Bob, the Supervisor of the Company that is building the bridge. He told me that they have aquired this new Trucking company to move the girders. Bob said: "These guys are serious". Bob told me that it would be six weeks before the new replacement girder could be moved into place as it has to have a proper curing time.
As I left Vincent Gap around 3 pm, they were still hooking up the first girder in preparation for the move. According to Bob they are planning on moving it today, even working into the night to get it done. They have brought in light standards so as to work at night. Bob told me he was hoping they were going to just get it ready to move and then come back tomorrow to actually move it, but it seemed they were bent on doing it tonight. Bob, Dan and other supervisors were having a pow-wow about it when I left.
THE ROAD IS CLOSED!
You cannot get to Vincent Gap as the road is closed. I had some hikers park in turn outs and ask if they could walk on over to the Baden Powell trail to hike. I told them I didn't have a problem with it but asked them to be very careful and stay very clear of the crane and heavy equipment.
I ask Bob if he had any problems with people trying to get into the area past the closure. He told me he hadn't and said that everyone seemed to be understanding and cooperative.
I get the impression that they are going to finish this road before the end of the year, even in the snow. If the road is finished in inclimate weather I doubt it will open to the public, but they want to get it finished. I think the $4,000+ a day fine since October 12th might have something to do with that. "
"A New Trucking Company has been brought in to move the girders and Contruction on HWY 2 has resumed!
I talked with Dan today. He is in charge of moving the girders. They are working feverishly to get the girders in and in place by the end of this week. Dan told me they have come up with a better idea for moving the girders so as to prevent what happened a few weeks ago. He said the first one will take the longest as they want to get it right and will be extra careful. He hopes they will get faster with experience and perhaps get 2 girders a day in place. He said the damaged girder has already been replaced with a brand new one and is waiting to be transported through Wrightwood to be assembled at Vincent Gap like the others were. He gave the impression that they would move the girders to Vincent Gap fairly soon as soon as they moved the 5 other girders into place at the construction zone.
I also talked to Bob, the Supervisor of the Company that is building the bridge. He told me that they have aquired this new Trucking company to move the girders. Bob said: "These guys are serious". Bob told me that it would be six weeks before the new replacement girder could be moved into place as it has to have a proper curing time.
As I left Vincent Gap around 3 pm, they were still hooking up the first girder in preparation for the move. According to Bob they are planning on moving it today, even working into the night to get it done. They have brought in light standards so as to work at night. Bob told me he was hoping they were going to just get it ready to move and then come back tomorrow to actually move it, but it seemed they were bent on doing it tonight. Bob, Dan and other supervisors were having a pow-wow about it when I left.
THE ROAD IS CLOSED!
You cannot get to Vincent Gap as the road is closed. I had some hikers park in turn outs and ask if they could walk on over to the Baden Powell trail to hike. I told them I didn't have a problem with it but asked them to be very careful and stay very clear of the crane and heavy equipment.
I ask Bob if he had any problems with people trying to get into the area past the closure. He told me he hadn't and said that everyone seemed to be understanding and cooperative.
I get the impression that they are going to finish this road before the end of the year, even in the snow. If the road is finished in inclimate weather I doubt it will open to the public, but they want to get it finished. I think the $4,000+ a day fine since October 12th might have something to do with that. "
Update as of Sat. 11/8:
Four girders have been moved and put into place, with #5 going in on Monday. #6 will be delivered on Wednesday and assembled at the construction site (evidently the curing time isn't as long as previously thought, or it will finish curing at the site). The contractor says the road will be completed in December, regardless of weather.
Four girders have been moved and put into place, with #5 going in on Monday. #6 will be delivered on Wednesday and assembled at the construction site (evidently the curing time isn't as long as previously thought, or it will finish curing at the site). The contractor says the road will be completed in December, regardless of weather.
On the Wrightwood Forum, they've got some cool pics of the girders in place on the ACH.
You break it you buy it.DamOTclese wrote:Yikes!
I can't imagine who has to pay for the replacement. How is funding to replace the damaged concrete beam acquired, anybody know?
Probably the contractor's insurance company is paying for it.
Nunc est bibendum
-
FIGHT ON
It's a little bit more than 5k.DamOTclese wrote: Even if it were only $5000, the loss of that much money is a horror.
Yeah, probably about 100x or 200x times that amount.FIGHT ON wrote:It's a little bit more than 5k.DamOTclese wrote: Even if it were only $5000, the loss of that much money is a horror.
Nunc est bibendum