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Mariposa County Board Of Supervisors Meeting
Selected Highlights For January 16, 2007
Mariposa's only daily updated online newspaper, Free and no registration required
Mariposa County Board Of Supervisors Meeting
Selected Highlights For January 16, 2007
| You knew it was going to be a big day at the Mariposa County Board Of Supervisors Meeting when a television
news station is there along with valley newspaper reporters ! CalTrans and the Ferguson Rock Slide were why the news organizations were there. Kome Ajise, CalTrans District 10 Director and Julie Dunning for Administration gave a Power Point demonstration on the timeline of the slide and four scenarios they are looking at to again make Highway 140 fully compatible to all vehicles without any restrictions and also making the highway safe. First Mr. Ajise pointed out that the temporary bridges have ongoing cost considerations as maintenance is constantly being done on the bridge, special use permits have to be given out and other operational costs to keep the bridge safe. The four scenarios he presented started with (1) The removal of the material (2) Constructing a Rock Shed (3) Realigning a new bridge to the North East side of the Merced River and (4) The same as three only building a tunnel along with a bridge. Mr.Ajise then went on to present the pros and cons of each scenario and a timeline on when the projects could be done, with all of them out at about three years from design to finish. He said the project is not now an emergency situation and all permits have to be done that would affect the Wild and Scenic River and the Sierra National Forest. On the three year timeline he said that could be possibly be even extended if the permitting would get held up by challenges. The bridges if they decide to go with that design would be raised up in elevation higher than what height the slide would encompass if it all came down at once. So it would probably be 50- 100 feet higher in elevation than the highway is now as the geologists have said that is around the depth the slide would get to if a catastrophic slide occurred. Kome said they are comfortable with this plan because that is part of what CalTrans does is build bridges.The cost estimate is at $30,000,000. Hauling the material out of there (an estimated 1-3 million cubic yards of rocks and dirt) safely and where to put it are part of the first scenario they are looking at. Also how much of the slope additionally would have to be taken out to prevent a future slide. The cost on this is estimated right now at $120,000,000. On the Rockshed, the road could stay where it is now but unknown feasibility problems could eliminate that plan but the environmental report would probably be minimal. The Tunnel would provide additional traveler safety, less of an EIR but would have constant maintenance and operations issues. Whatever design they come up with, CalTrans is looking to have a draft by September of 2007, get approval in March 2008, Get a final on that approval by September 2008 and begin construction in January 2009. |
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The Board Of Supervisors then heard another presentation by Kome Ajise on the temporary bridges and how
to get longer vehicles on them. He presented a scenario where only the area around the far side of the downstream bridge
would have to be worked on to allow a 36 foot vehicle over the bridge. He estimated the cost on this as being somewhere
between 1-2 million dollars and at least a one year timeline. He kept referring back: to if this is a good way to spend money as about two years after that project would be completed the permanent solution would be in place. Supervisor Lyle Turpin was all for spending the money to get that additional vehicle size over the bridges. Dave Martin of the Sierra National Forest then commented on the slide and CalTrans proposals. He said the Wild and Scenic status only applies from high water bank to bank across the river. The bridge structures would have to allow the river to remain free flowing. When asked what happens if the slide should come down all at once, he said the only one who can start a process to remove the rocks from the river is the Corps of Engineers. Also if the detectors they have installed on the slide would detect a major shift a call would immediately go to the Mariposa County Sheriff. Jerry Degraff, Geologist for the Sierra National Forest, said that a catastrophic slide probability is rated very low. Also that of the three sensors installed on the Ferguson Ridge, the top one has not moved at all, the middle one had movement in December but then stopped and the bottom one, which is installed on the looser material moves about 1CM a day , resulting in about a three foot movement in 83 days. (Part Two Later Today ) |
