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Board approves $590,000 emergency contract to repair Whitney Portal culvert
Summary
The Board of Supervisors authorized emergency funding and a contract award to Speese Construction to replace a failed culvert on Whitney Portal Road, citing imminent risk of road failure and the goal of reopening before high runoff and recreation season.
The Inyo County Board of Supervisors on March 11 approved an emergency amendment to the 2024–25 road fund and awarded a repair contract to Speese Construction for a Whitney Portal culvert failure, Public Works Director Mike Arante told the board.
Arante said county crews found a cavity beneath the road and that the bottom of the existing culvert had been ‘‘eroded away,’’ compromising surrounding soil and creating a risk of collapse. He asked the board to authorize amending the current fiscal-year road budget and to award a construction contract for the repair.
The county notified federal and state resource agencies and obtained permitting cooperation from the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Arante said. The county has procured a 6-foot concrete pipe from Tucson and is using the existing pipe as a temporary bypass while installing a new adjacent concrete pipe.
Arante estimated the contract at about $590,000 and said the contractor claimed it could start quickly; county staff scheduled a planned closure beginning March 17 with the goal of reopening on temporary surfacing in two to three weeks, and placing hot-mix paving later when plants reopen.
Board members asked about the culvert’s age and broader road condition. Arante said many culverts placed in the 1950s and 1960s are nearing the end of useful life and that the county is using concrete pipe for durability and is performing countywide inspections to prioritize replacements.
Supervisor discussion and public comment praised the road crew for finding the issue before a seasonal surge in traffic. A motion to amend the road budget and approve the contract carried by voice vote; the board gave staff direction to keep the board posted as work proceeds.
The county did not provide a roll-call vote tally in the meeting transcript. The contract award and budget amendment were implemented as an emergency action on March 11.
