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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Caltrans said this week that repair and cleanup work on Highway 29 and Highway 175 in the Valley fire area is under way.
Caltrans District 1 spokesman Phil Frisbie said the agency initially estimated costs to repair damage done to state highways by the fire – which broke out Sept. 12 and was fully contained on Oct. 6 – at $18 million.
He said the state entered a $15 million emergency contract with Granite Construction, with the difference between the total estimate and the contract totals explained by $3 million allocated to Caltrans for oversight and management.
Frisbie said work began on Sept. 17 with Granite Construction removing damaged trees along the state right-of-way, a process that is still ongoing.
Since then, Caltrans reported that work has expanded to include cleanup from the Lake/Napa County line to Hidden Valley Lake on Highway 29 and on Highway 175 in Middletown to Loch Lomond.
Frisbie said Granite Construction is bringing in a crew to being repairing metal beam guardrail that was damaged in the fire.
He said there is more than 5,000 feet of guardrail – almost a mile's worth – that the fire burned that needs to be replaced along Highway 29 and Highway 175.
Granite Construction will completely remove that existing guardrail and install all new metal posts before the new guardrail is placed, Frisbie said.
Frisbie said work also is set to start on Highway 175 to replace a culvert damaged in the fire.
He said the contractor has been out marking lines on the highway where the work will take place.
Once the guardrail and culvert replacement gets started, there will be temporary road closures and traffic delays, Frisbie said.
“We would really encourage nonresidents to please avoid the area,” Frisbie said.
In addition to the Valley fire-related repairs, Caltrans' contractors are continuing other projects around Lake County this next coming week.
Those projects include guardrail repairs from Blue Lakes Road to Saratoga Springs Road west of Upper Lake, pavement repairs from Rosemont Drive to the junction of Highway 20 and Highway 53 along the Northshore, work on Main Street in Kelseyville to the junction of Highway 29 and Highway 175 near Lakeport, and drainage work from the Lake and Mendocino County line to five miles east on Highway 175.
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