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Residents urge Placerville to keep Clay Street Bridge replacement on track, warn of safety risks
Summary
Multiple residents told the council the nearly 100-year-old Clay Street Bridge is deteriorating and that mothballing the replacement would break public trust; council acknowledged the concerns and asked for coordination on next steps but made no immediate commitment at the meeting.
At the start of public comment, several residents urged the Placerville City Council to prioritize replacement or repair of the Clay Street Bridge, calling the structure a public-safety risk and a long-delayed project in the city’s capital improvement planning.
Sue Rodman, identifying herself as a Placerville resident, said the Clay Street Bridge has been identified for replacement for “over two decades,” described abutments that now look like “stacks of sandbags,” and warned that declaring the project “infeasible” and placing it “on ice” would break public trust because the bridge’s replacement had been a condition of approval for the Cottonwood Subdivision. She told the council, “Please, please just take a look at this bridge.”
Other speakers underscored weight and traffic concerns. Marion Washburn showed photographs to emphasize that the bridge was built for much lighter and fewer vehicles and noted that frequent heavy deliveries to downtown restaurants—large trucks performing U-turns—likely accelerate structural deterioration. Wendy Thomas, speaking later in the public-comment period, reminded the council that the Clay Street Bridge appears in the city’s planning documents and general plan dating back decades, and she said staff has sought funding and should prepare to appeal any Highway Bridge Program determination that leaves critical funding gaps.
Commenters called for re-evaluating the CIP schedule, pursuing Highway Bridge Program funding, and ensuring emergency access for residents in the corridor. The mayor responded that “the Clay Street thing…is not done in any respect” and asked residents to stay tuned; no formal council action or vote on the bridge replacement occurred at the meeting.
