Those hoping old Route 66 between Essex and Amboy, California, would reopen to traffic by September after bridge repairs may have to wait longer — storms damaged more than a dozen bridges in that stretch last week.
Mazin Kasey of the San Bernardino County Department of Public Works said in an email Monday that 14 timber bridges in the Essex and Danby area suffered erosion damage and debris buildup after flash flooding July 24. Kasey said five bridge in that area also suffered severe flood damage.
Kasey explained more in the email:
A bridge between Mountain Springs Road and Essex Road was heavily damaged in 2014 and is awaiting federal replacement funds, so that section of road has remained closed. The current bridge projects under construction at Dola and Lanzit Wash just east of Kelbaker Road were not damaged. The road was already closed from Kelbaker Road to Cadiz Road for the construction of Dola and Lanzit bridges; however, due to the recent storms damage on bridges between Cadiz Road and Essex Road, National Trials Highway, between Kelbaker Road and Essex Road is now closed pending bridge evaluation and repairs. This brings the total close limits from Kelbaker Road to Mountain Springs Road
Public Works has placed road closure signs along with k rail across the road as well as advance warning signs near the off ramps of the I-40. In addition, Public Works had contacted Caltrans to activate their changeable freeway message board the weekend of July 29-30 in the area to alert drivers of the closure as well as making updates to our National Trails Highway webpage (https://cms.sbcounty.gov/dpw/Operations/Route66.aspx). Public Works has also issued a blast email to the Route 66 multi-agency coordination group alerting them of the closure.
Public works is evaluating the damaged bridges with its own structural engineers as well as Caltrans and State inspectors this week to determine if repairs can be made to the brdiges to re-open them or if full replacement is needed.
Dola and Lanzit bridges (currently under construction) are still scheduled to open 3rd week in September 2017 which will allow the section between Cadiz Road and Kelbaker Road to reopen.
So that means by September, Route 66 travelers still will be able to go to Amboy and the western part of Route 66 in the desert via the Kelbaker Road exit from Interstate 40. But fully driving the stretch from Essex to Amboy appears out of the question indefinitely.
You can keep up with San Bernardino County road closures here.
ZachNews, which is based in Needles, California, reported one of the washed-out bridges led to an accident:
California Highway Patrol also tells ZachNews that a truck tried to get by the washed out bridge, but wasn’t able to and landed on the ground before being fully engulfed.
At least 2 people were able to get out of the truck.
Alas, it seems more of these bridge repairs will be necessary after summer monsoon storms. Many of the bridges along Route 66 in the Mojave Desert have exceeded their expected life span and won’t take the strain of more flooding.
(Image of a newly washed-out bridge on National Old Trails Highway, aka Route 66, by California Highway Patrol via Facebook)
We’re going to drive Route 66 from Chicago to … actually we wanted to drive it all up to Santa Monica. I really hope all the damaged bridges are going to be repaired, so next time we’re going to be on the Mother Road, we can drive that stretch again.
They didn’t’ try to get by the bridge, they were totally taken by horrific surprise as the bridge had just washed out before they approached it in the dark!