The County is seeking a qualified Consulting firm to provide civil engineering and environmental services for the Rancho Rio Avenue Bridge Replacement Project. The project will consist of completely replacing the existing one lane structure and roadway approaches with a two-lane clear span concrete slab bridge and standard bridge approaches. Additional right of way may be required to accommodate the new bridge footprint. Rancho Rio Avenue will be closed at this location during construction and local traffic will be detoured to alternative routes. Utilities such as water and gas will need to be relocated for the project. The existing bridge has a recent Bridge Inspection Report dated November 20, 2024, and the bridge is described as “Scour Critical”. The bridge is structurally deficient with the structure evaluation as “2 Intolerable - Replace”. The County of Santa Cruz has programmed the Rancho Rio Bridge through the California Highway Bridge Program (HBP) funding sources which will reimburse a portion of the Preliminary Engineering and Construction of the project. It is the goal of the County to have the plans, specifications and estimate along with all the required permitting to be ready for construction Summer 2029.
