Old River Bridge closures end in Discovery Bay

By Chris Campos Staff Writer

Commuters now have full access to the Old River Bridge outside Discovery Bay following the finish of a $9.4 million renovation program on Sunday, April 2.

The purpose of the project is preventive maintenance to delay or minimize the bridge’s future rehabilitation needs and to restore the moveable bridge to good operating condition. The existing mechanical and electrical components needed to be upgraded, and structural repairs to this 100-year-old bridge were implemented to increase the reliability and serviceability of this swing span bridge, the state Department of Transportation (Caltrans) said.

Caltrans re-opened extended full closures of Highway 4 and Highway 120/Manteca Bypass several hours ahead of schedule thanks to the concerted efforts of Caltrans’ construction teams and its contractor partners. All lanes of eastbound Highway 120/Manteca Bypass, from Interstate 5 to Airport Way, were safely reopened to traffic 18 hours ahead of schedule when work was completed at 8 p.m. on Sunday, April 2. The scheduled 64-hour closure for emergency approach slab replacement near McKinley Avenue began at 10 p.m. on Friday, March 31 and was estimated to be completed at 2 p.m. on Monday, April 3.

Caltrans would like to thank motorists for their patience and being mindful of the safety all highway workers during these extended closures. Caltrans also thanked all local partners, including CHP and first responders, for their coordination and cooperation.

The original project completion date was April 2023. However, new traffic gates to be installed at the bridge are on back order from the manufacturer and are scheduled to arrive for installation in August 2023, according to Skip Allum, a Caltrans spokesman.

Some one-way traffic control will be required again for this installation work with dates and times to be determined, sometime in August or September 2023, once the traffic gates arrive from the manufacturer, Caltrans said, adding that no more extended, weekend full closures of Highway 4 are required.

For more information: https://dot.ca.gov/caltransnear-me/district-10/district-10-current-projects/10-1c800