Bollea Road Bridge Emergency Repairs

Challenge: Emergency Repairs of Damaged Bridge

Located in the northeast outskirts of San Joaquin County, CA, the Bollea Road Bridge is the only access route for residents living to its south. On a February day during an unseasonably wet winter, storms picked up and heavy rainfall seeped behind the footing of Bollea Road leading to the bridge abutment. The downpour overwhelmed the footing, completely dislodging it and sending it downstream. County personnel later discovered the abutment was 70 percent undermined, compromising the bridge’s structural integrity.

With the bridge incapable of safely handling vehicular traffic, the population south of the Bollea Road Bridge was cut off from the rest of the county. People from surrounding areas delivered groceries on foot to their stranded neighbors. The San Joaquin County Public Works department needed to act fast.

Solution: Three-Phase Disaster Response

It would have been impossible to complete the project in a timely manner using traditional procurement methods. Therefore, San Joaquin County turned to Gordian’s Job Order Contracting (JOC), an alternative procurement process ideal for renovation and alteration work, responding quickly to emergencies, addressing a backlog of deferred repairs and straightforward new construction.

The county commenced a three-phase plan with the contractor, T & S Intermodal Maintenance, Inc. The first phase was to brace the bridge and stabilize the soil with rip rap. The second phase was comprised of building a temporary crossing to provide residents much-needed access to the rest of the county. Finally, the third phase included rebuilding the bridge footing, repairing the attenuators and re-asphalting the roadway, ensuring the bridge was safe for travel once again.

Result: A Bridge Repaired. A County Reunited. A $50,000 Savings.

With the bridge complete and stronger than ever, the community south of the Bollea Road Bridge were reunited with the rest of San Joaquin County. The project was finished within 120 days following the initial call from a resident. Additionally, the project came in around $270,000, approximately $50,000 less than the initial contractor bid. This savings led to the repair receiving a Project of the Year Award from the Sacramento Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) in the Disaster or Emergency Construction/Repair category.