GREENFIELD — County of Monterey will begin repair work on Arroyo Seco Road, west of Greenfield, in South Monterey County in September and plans to have it completed by the end of the year.
Arroyo Seco Road suffered severe damage during storms in March. Heavy rains and flooding undermined and washed out a section of the roadway, creating a steep 40-foot vertical drop on one side, and compromised a travel lane for vehicles.
“The road has been closed to the general public since that time,” the County stated in a news release. “Only local residents who live along that portion of road are allowed access in and out of the area.”
Staff within the County’s Public Works, Facilities and Parks Department have completed a design and emergency repair plan for the roadway. Bids for the emergency repair were due Sept. 1.
Repairs to the road will take place in two locations, and anticipated costs for this work are about $6 million.
Following are the locations and work plans for each area:
- Project site #1 at milepost 2.5: Flooding here overwhelmed existing culverts. Repairs include replacing damaged culverts with new four 4-foot diameter pipes.
- Project site #2 at milepost 4.2: This is where a large section of the roadway is settling and cracked the pavement. To reconstruct the area and support the pavement, 22 steel-reinforced concrete piles that are each 30 inches in diameter will be drilled into the area below the pavement, creating a “stitch-pile row.” These concrete piles will go to a depth of 30 feet below existing grade to support the roadway.
The repair project has been designed to meet FEMA guidelines for disaster reimbursement. Advance funding from the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal EOS) is being used to assist with this project.
Once repair work is completed, it will allow for the reopening of Arroyo Seco Campground, which was closed by the U.S. Forest Service.
