'Back to its natural state': American River Debris Removal Project is completed

The State Route 49 bridge rested within the Confluence of the American River for 61 years, some of it embedded at the bottom, other parts sticking up enough for water recreationists to use as a diving board. And today, it's all gone – 450 tons of steel and nearly 600 cubic yards of concrete removed in just the last few months. "It's joyful," Gary Estes said as he looked down at the river. "The river is now back to its natural state." Estes and his fellow members of Protect American River Canyons (PARC) joined Placer County officials Monday to celebrate a true "team effort" in the formulation and completion of the American River Debris Removal Project. "This is the best part of doing what we get to do (in) local government is making a difference that's sustainable and helpful for the whole community," Placer County District 5 Supervisor Cindy Gustafson said. The bridge collapsed after the incomplete Hell Hole Dam failed during a severe storm in December 1964. The bridge's remains were left alone because in 1965, the Auburn Dam Project was passed by Congress and it was assumed the concrete and steel would be covered by hundreds of feet of water. But the dam never happened, and the debris presented obvious safety hazards, so in 2020, PARC began assembling a plan to remove the debris. Estes, the project manager, mentioned a random bar on the left side of the river by "a big rock" under the bridge, adding the debris "probably changed the way the river flows. "When you're rafting, you have to deal with the vagueries of the river just being natural," he said. "Add something else, that's an extra hazard." AB 178 opened the door for the county to secure $8 million for the debris removal in 2022. Estes said Gustafson "in January 2021 basically took the ball and ran with it. She had the contacts." Said Gustafson, "This was an easy button for us to push. … And we helped." She joined then-Sen. Brian Dahle and then-Assemblywoman Megan Dahle on a call and talked about the fallen bridge being "state debris, not county debris." "I was here to try to help, facilitate a discussion, and they stepped in with the funding and political support with their fellow colleagues to get this through to remove and for us to remove Caltrans debris out of the river with county leadership," Gustafson said, thanking former Placer County Director of Public Works Ken Grimm. "I called him to say I might be able to get the money, but we need some help," Gustafson said. "Someone with the county is going to have to run this project. Ken said we'll find a way. And you did that, Ken." Debris removal began in August. A temporary ramp allowed heavy equipment access to the river for work by Myers & Sons Construction and sub-contractors. Placer County Director of Public Works Derek Gade said some steel girders within the river channel were more than 10 feet tall and fully embedded, and that 620 feet of girders and nearly 780,000 pounds of steel were still inter-connected. Portions of steel were 30 feet under water and embedded. "Divers worked for 45 days cutting steel under water, piece by piece, using torches in moving water," he described. The project finished in four months, on schedule. "It's a true community victory," Gade said. "It's history corrected, safety restored and the canyon renewed."