[PRpond]
Road reopens after three months of weather-related closure
(PLACERVILLE, CA) – El Dorado County Department of Transportation today reopened Fort Jim Road which has been closed since January 5, 2017 due to the extreme weather and resulting damage to the road, culvert and surrounding eroding areas.
“We’re pleased to reopen this stretch of roadway today,” said Supervisor Brian Veerkamp, whose district includes the road. “While it’s been an inconvenience for our citizens to have the road closed for the last 90-plus days, the extreme weather we’ve had this winter resulted in damage to the roadway and became a safety hazard to drivers. As we move into Spring, we’re confident we’ve made the needed repairs to temporarily yet safely reopen this road,” he added.
The repairs are temporary until construction for a permanent remedy begins in August, at which time the road will be closed for several weeks. Completion of the project is estimated to be in mid-to-late September.
“Once we saw a break in the weather and were able to stabilize the ground conditions, our maintenance and repair crews did the work quickly, taking three days from start to finish to make the repairs needed to reopen the road,” said Department Director Bard Lower.
“In the meantime, there are no load restrictions on Fort Jim and traffic can flow normally,” said Lower. “We appreciate the public’s patience and look forward to safe driving on Fort Jim.”
