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Tulare County board authorizes eminent domain to replace crumbling Mineral King (Oak Grove) Bridge
Summary
The Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution of necessity to acquire about 0.6 acres of private property and a temporary construction easement to allow a new bridge upstream of the century-old Mineral King (Oak Grove) Bridge; the county said the existing structure cannot be rehabilitated because of deteriorated concrete.
The Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to adopt a resolution of necessity to acquire property needed to build a replacement for the Mineral King (Oak Grove) Bridge, a historic crossing that county engineers say is structurally failing.
Resource Management Agency County Engineer Reed Chenkie told the board the 1923 bridge suffers from severe concrete deterioration—what engineers call alkali-silica reactivity and carbonation, or “concrete cancer”—and cannot be repaired.
The county plans to build a new bridge slightly upstream so traffic can be maintained during construction. Chenkie said the design work is complete, a mitigated negative declaration under the California Environmental Quality Act was adopted by the board in 2021, and construction is expected to begin in the spring of next year. To build the new alignment, the county needs roughly 0.6 acres of permanent right-of-way and about 1.8 acres of temporary construction easement.
Property owner Jamieson Haley, who owns multiple parcels near the bridge, spoke at the public hearing and said the county’s appraisal offers were far below his estimate of market value. Haley said the county’s initial appraisal offered “$6,108 for 0.6 acres” and that the temporary-easement payment of about $8,104 would not compensate for five years of construction activity on his land. Haley told the board he would seek a court resolution if negotiations did not produce a higher payment.
Supervisors pressed staff on options and timeframes. Supervisor Macari asked whether alternate alignments were possible; Chenkie said alternatives had been examined but the proposed upstream alignment is the most feasible option because replacing the bridge in its current location would cut off access while work proceeded. Supervisors also asked whether temporary easements could be limited and emphasized that staff should continue negotiating with the property owner even after the board’s action.
The board then voted to adopt the resolution of necessity, to authorize deposit of probable compensation, and to direct county counsel to pursue the necessary legal actions to acquire the parcels if negotiations fail. The motion was made by Supervisor Eddie Valero and seconded by Supervisor Amy Shucklin. The motion passed unanimously.
County staff said the county will continue negotiating in good faith with the property owner; the resolution does not prevent an out-of-court settlement prior to any court filings.
The replacement bridge will serve as the primary access into the Mineral King area off State Route 198 and county staff said ensuring continued safe access to the cabins and park areas was the main public-interest rationale for initiating the acquisition process.
