This article was written by BenitoLink intern Vivian Guadalupe Sierra

Although for now the contractor hired by San Benito County is only delivering the equipment and needed materials, residents should expect to see more construction activity on Union Road at San Benito Street in the coming weeks, according to Steve Loupe, Public Works Administrator.

Pending approval from permitting agencies, construction on Union Road Bridge is tentatively scheduled to begin Aug. 1. The work is part of San Benito County’s Union Road Bridge Replacement Project.

Union Bridge Construction. Photo by Vivian Guadalupe Sierra.
Union Road Bridge. Photo by Vivian Guadalupe Sierra.

The replacement was initially proposed in 2012, was in the works for roughly a decade and scheduled for construction in November 2022, according to California Environmental Quality Act records and the Construction Journal. It’s part of an $85 million bridge program in which 10 bridges are slated for improvement over a period of five years, according to a statement made by former Resource Management Agency director Benny Young in 2021.

On April 25, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $36.3 million contract with MCM Construction for the project. According to the meetings agenda packet, the project is funded through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Highway Bridge Program (HBP). It adds the bridge “is deemed to be structurally deficient and scour critical as the foundation have [sic] been subject to severe erosion.”

The new Union Road Bridge will consist of two lanes and accommodate both pedestrians and bicyclists. The complete bridge replacement will be located south of the existing bridge, requiring that the Union Road and San Benito Street intersection be moved south of its existing location.

Union Bridge. Photo by Vivian Guadalupe Sierra.
Union Road Bridge. Photo by Vivian Guadalupe Sierra.

While the Construction Journal shows an estimate of 440 workdays to complete the project, Loupe said that road closures requiring detours aren’t expected to begin until 2024.

The county is developing a website to inform residents about scheduled traffic delays and road closures related to the project.

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