Public Works: Whitney bridge project on track to open by April 30, asphalt plant timing key constraint

Mike Arante of the county's Public Works office updated the board on the Whitney bridge project April 8, reporting that crews had cut and abandoned an existing cover, constructed an adjacent headwall, and were completing backfilling and compaction tests. Arante said compaction testing targets about 95% and that crews are installing riprap and armoring the pipe outflow.

Arante told the board the county planned to finish backfilling the same week and aimed to open the project by April 30. He said the local asphalt plant does not open until the second week of May, so crews may truck asphalt from Bakersfield and place it in two 2-inch lifts as a base course; if the material raveled after trucking, staff would apply a temporary cover and then place a final cap when the local plant opens. Arante thanked the contractor (named in the transcript as Speese and Black Gold) for their work.

The board had a brief exchange about asphalt cooling during long truck hauls and the use of tarps and temperature monitoring to preserve placement quality. No formal board action was taken on the update; it was provided as an informational report from Public Works.