Myers & Sons Construction LLC is spearheading a $34 million project to replace the aging Klamath River Bridge on State Route 96 in Siskiyou County, northern California. Funded by Senate Bill 1, the new bridge is designed to last 100 years, aiming to enhance safety, accessibility, and sustainability in the region. Construction began in summer 2024 and is expected to finish ahead of schedule this fall.

The new structure—a 545-foot-long, 44-foot-wide, three-span post-tensioned concrete box girder bridge—is being built on a newly aligned roadway through a rural forest area approximately 30 miles west of Interstate 5. Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, supports the project financially.

“Senate Bill 1 funding continues to serve as a catalyst for rebuilding California's infrastructure and improving experiences for people who walk and bike,” said Tony Tavares, Caltrans director.

Along with replacing the original 1953 bridge, the project involves realigning several intersections and driveways near the Horse Creek community, about one mile east of the bridge site.

Chris Woodward, Caltrans public relations officer, explained the project’s goals: “The purpose of the project is to provide a safe, sustainable, traversable structure to the public and to keep freight moving to market. It is addressing current erosion and scour around the bridge foundations and increasing vertical and horizontal clearance for trucks and freight haulers moving goods through the area.

“Worker safety will be improved by significantly reducing or eliminating the need for crews to scale the steep structure to fix damage caused when larger trucks or their freight loads impact the overhead bridge truss.”

Environmental considerations are also key. Woodward noted, “Potential construction or project impacts will be mitigated through the creation of the Lower Beaver Creek ponds and a ‘bat hotel.’ Work at the Beaver Creek ponds will help expand fish populations and provide a seasonal refuge for area species as well.”

Utility relocations took place during the winter of 2023-2024, and tree removal cleared the path for the new bridge and roadway alignment. Caltrans handled the bridge and road design, featuring wider 8-foot shoulders and a bicycle railing to enhance pedestrian and cyclist safety.

Kurtis Frailey, Myers & Sons vice president, discussed some engineering challenges: “Caltrans had a lot of the design and engineering completed when we pre-bid the job. Some of the design challenges would be the temporary design work — the falsework and the access to install the falsework into the river because some of the dams were recently removed upstream — the flows of the river were pretty much unknown. We were going to build a trestle at first, but we decided to go with a rock berm to access the river to install the falsework.”

Frailey added that the bridge’s polyester concrete overlay will extend its lifespan: “This waterproof seal extends the life of the bridge.”

So far, most road and bridge construction—including soffits and other elements—has been completed. Deck pouring was scheduled for mid-June, followed by removing falsework and switching traffic to the new bridge by August, after which the old bridge will be demolished.

“The crews have put in a really good effort to get the job done quickly,” said Frailey. “They are working out-of-town, quite a ways from home. They do their work and go home for the weekends.”

Due to the remote location, crews are housed in trailers and local hotels. Myers & Sons also established an on-site concrete batch plant at a nearby aggregate pit since local suppliers could not service the site, using pond water for concrete production.

The bridge construction began with building abutments and center pier work, with cast-in-drilled-hole piles drilled to about 90 feet deep. The metal beam falsework was chosen as the most efficient method.

“The bridge sits 18 feet above the water, so worker safety is paramount. We have all of our full protection methods — handrails and harnesses — when working at these heights,” Frailey said.

Heavy equipment including Link-Belt cranes, Cat excavators, and rotary drill rigs supported the project, while subcontractors handled asphalt paving and earthwork.

“The existing steel truss bridge will be demolished piece-by-piece and recycled,” Frailey said.

Project Manager Chris Nelson and Superintendent Shawn Kinnie lead the team, with Frailey praising their efforts: “These two have been building this job and are doing a great job to keep it ahead of schedule. It’s been a great team dynamic between us, Caltrans and the local community.”

Daily work crews number about 18 personnel. To date, crews have excavated 65,000 cubic yards of roadway, moved roughly 20,000 cubic yards of dirt, and removed 5,000 yards of granite rock.

“Equipment must be in tip-top condition,” said Frailey. “We get repairs done immediately. We have a mechanic that goes up there when we have any issues.”

Reflecting on the durability of the original bridge built 72 years ago, Frailey said, “They were pretty good at building stuff back then, with not having the equipment we have today — the bridge is still here 72 years later. They had to do a lot of it by manpower.”

Originally reported by Irwin Rapoport in Construction Equipment Guide.