EISPIRATEN

Thanks for posting the update. Probably the worst start I can think of to the challenges of this next cycle.

[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]

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?

Hikin_Jim wrote:Jackhammer it to pieces? Surely, there's a better way.

We are becoming the USSR, day by sorry day!

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.

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.

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).

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!-

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!-

39? Sheesh. Can you say "boondoggle?" What a waste. It won't even stay open one season.

Hikin_Jim wrote:39? Sheesh. Can you say "boondoggle?" What a waste. It won't even stay open one season.

I think that's the idea. Annual contracts for all our most generous political donors.

Except we can't afford it anymore.

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.

Rumpled wrote:Are they REALLY gonna try and open up 39?

I've read elsewhere that special funding has been approved.

Rumpled wrote:Are they REALLY gonna try and open up 39?

Yep.

http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist07/Publicatio ... php?id=283

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 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.

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.

The replacement girder will apparently take months to make, putting the project on hold till spring.

Rumpled wrote:The replacement girder will apparently take months to make, putting the project on hold till 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.

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."

Cross your fingers that they are more careful this time.
Is it snowing up there? It rained down here.

No snow at the moment.

Rumpled wrote:Is it snowing up there? It rained down here.

Wrightwood web cams

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.

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. "

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.

On the Wrightwood Forum, they've got some cool pics of the girders in place on the ACH.

Them's big.

Fight club. Wanna join?

TacoDelRio wrote:Fight club. Wanna join?

Join? Dude! I'm the founder!

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?

You break it you buy it.

Probably the contractor's insurance company is paying for it.

DamOTclese wrote: Even if it were only $5000, the loss of that much money is a horror.

It's a little bit more than 5k.

FIGHT ON wrote:

DamOTclese wrote: Even if it were only $5000, the loss of that much money is a horror.

It's a little bit more than 5k.

Yeah, probably about 100x or 200x times that amount.