Two months after the start of construction, repairs to Foresthill Roadhave been completed. The roadway failed in two places last spring just east of Drivers Flat Road. Multiple factors, including heavy rains that saturated soils and poor soil conditions, caused the roadway failures. All lanes in both directions are now open.
In July, the Placer County Board of Supervisors OK'd an expedited approval process that allowed the Department of Public Works to get repairs done. Bids were opened in August and Teichert Construction was awarded the contract. Repairs began shortly after Labor Day.
"I'm thankful we were able to quickly get these repairs done as this is the major paved access in and out of Foresthill," said Placer County Supervisor Bruce Kranz, whose 5th District includes Foresthill. "We had a wildlands fire out that way this summer and were lucky the difficulties with the road did not hinder emergency vehicles from responding."
Rerouting of the traffic lanes allowed two lanes to remain open both since the slide occurred and throughout construction. The repairs entailed digging down 15 feet below the base of the slope to original soil and rebuilding the failed sections of roadway. In addition, an extensive drainage system was installed both under and above the roadway. Improvements were also be made to areas adjacent to the slide areas to help ensure there are no future failures.
"We are pleased the repairs were completed prior to the rainy season," said Ken Grehm, Public Works Director. "The Board of Supervisors fast-tracked the repair process because they understood the importance of this roadway. This enabled Public Works and the construction contractor to get the job done."
The Supervisors authorized $2.8 million for the repairs in July. The actual cost of the repairs was approximately $2.6 million.