Emergency Status Lifted, Though Bridge Failures Keep Danby & Essex Roads Closed

The county and the transportation division of its public works department have rescinded the formerly declared state of emergency with regard to portions of the National Trails Highway in a remote area of the East Mojave Desert. That emergency status had been in place since last summer, following a downpour that compromised the integrity of portions of the roadway.
Thunderstorms in the Mojave Desert on July 24, 2017 resulted in flooding in the communities of Danby and Essex which caused substantial damage to National Trails Highway. Due to flash floods, timber bridges in the Essex/Danby area sustained erosion damage and debris build-up in the channels that underlay them. In addition, five timber bridges sustained major damage to their structural elements. As an immediate precaution, two spans along the highway were closed pending roadway repairs and bridge evaluations.
According to a statement made at that time by Kevin Blakeslee, the county’s director of public works, the situation “created an emergency… requiring immediate action to prevent or mitigate the loss or impairment of life.”
In compliance with Blakeslee’s request, the board of supervisors on August 8, 2017 voted to expedite repairs by appropriating $2.5 million, without requiring a formal bid process, to undertake debris removal and erosion repair, asphalt roadway repairs and bridge repairs. With that vote, the board also confirmed or officialized Blakeslee’s finding “that there was substantial evidence that damage to National Trails Highway in the communities of Danby and Essex caused by thunderstorms and flooding in the Mojave Desert on Monday, July 24, 2017, created an emergency pursuant to Public Contract Code section 22050, requiring immediate action to prevent or mitigate the loss or impairment of life, health, property, and essential public services and did not permit a delay resulting from a formal competitive solicitation of bids to repair the damage.”
This week, Blakeslee told the board of supervisors, “Preliminary estimates for the emergency repairs were $2,500,000, which included debris removal and erosion repair, asphalt roadway repairs and bridge repairs. Additional bridge evaluations by the department of public works and Caltrans [the California Department of Transportation] resulted in a reduced repair amount for the 19 bridges and it was determined that they were only in need of routine maintenance repairs. However, five bridges are under review for federal emergency replacement funds. The maintenance repair work will be funded by gasoline tax. Sufficient appropriation and revenue are included in the 2017-18 road operations budget. Department crews have completed maintenance work to clear debris and repair shoulder erosion. The department also cleared debris under the 19 damaged bridges and Caltrans inspected these bridges the weeks of September 18 and 25, 2017. Caltrans inspectors have completed their inspections and provided the department summarized reports on February 13, 2018 and February 23, 2018. The department has completed its evaluation of these reports.”
Rescinding last year’s emergency declaration will allow the county to proceed with repairs on an economical basis, through seeking contractors to make the repairs in a competitive bid process.
“While additional bridge maintenance repairs remain for 19 bridges and replacement work remains for five bridges, the department recommends terminating the emergency declaration pursuant to Public Contract Code Section 22050(c)(3),” Blakeslee said. “Termination of the emergency is recommended because the remainder of the maintenance repair work may be completed by public works operations forces and the remainder of the work that is not maintenance may be completed by giving notice for formal bids to let contracts.”
The board this week followed Blakeslee’s recommendation and terminated the finding it originally made on August 8, 2017.
Even with the rescission of the declaration, four spans of, or roads coinciding with or accompanying, the National Trails Highway in the East Mojave remain closed.
A portion of Goffs Road in the Essex area from I-40 south to the National Trails Highway was closed on July 25, 2017 due to bridge damage on the National Trails Highway.
A portion of Essex Road between I-40 south to the National Trails Hwy in the Essex area was closed on July 25, 2017 due to bridge damage on the National Trails Highway.
That portion of the National Trails Highway from Goffs Road to Mountain Springs Road was closed on September 8, 2014 due to bridge damage from flooding.
That portion of the National Trails Highway near Amboy from Cadiz Road to Essex Road was closed on March 6, 2017 due to bridge replacement.
There is no anticipated time for any reopening of those four closures, according to the public works department.
Mark Gutglueck

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