Southbound deck teardown begins on Business 80’s American River Bridge overhaul.
The American River Bridge deck replacement project is now in its third and final stage, with crews currently demolishing the existing concrete deck on the southbound lanes.
Construction on the $216 million project began in early 2022. The first stage involved building a new substructure to support widening the bridge by approximately 54 feet to the east and adding a 14-foot-wide bike trail linking to existing trails. This widening allowed traffic to continue flowing smoothly, maintaining three lanes in each direction throughout construction.
The project is a collaboration between Caltrans and American River Constructors—a joint venture of Granite Construction and California Engineering Contractors.
After completing stage one, the newly built section opened to traffic. Crews then began stage two by closing the three middle lanes for construction. Stage two wrapped up earlier this year, and those lanes have since reopened to traffic. Crews have now shifted to the final stage, which focuses on the remaining three southbound lanes and construction of the new bike path connection on the south side.
The bridge spans the American River along State Route 51, between the Union Pacific Railroad underpass near B Street and Exposition Boulevard, and carries more than 90,000 vehicles daily. Originally constructed in 1954 and widened in 1965, the structure has since developed severe cracks running across its width and along its length, prompting a full replacement of the deck. The new deck will be approximately 1.25 inches thicker than the existing one.
Once completed, the bridge will feature three lanes in each direction with wider inside and outside shoulders, along with a dedicated bike and pedestrian path. Caltrans expects construction to be completed by early 2026.
