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Merced County celebrates opening of new Hills Ferry Bridge after years of planning
Summary
Merced County officials marked the completion of the Hills Ferry Bridge at a ribbon-cutting ceremony, calling the crossing a vital link between Interstate 5 and Highway 99. County public works director Nathan Bray and Supervisor Lloyd Pereira Jr. praised the contractor teams and inter-county partnership; construction took under 14 months after roughly two decades of planning.
Merced County officials and local leaders gathered at the Hills Ferry Bridge ribbon-cutting to mark completion of a replacement crossing that county staff say will strengthen travel and commerce between Interstate 5 and State Route 99.
“My name is Nathan Bray. I'm the director of public works and the road commissioner from Merced County,” said Nathan Bray, who described the bridge as “more than concrete and steel. It's a vital connection between Merced County and Stanislaus County.” Bray noted the project had been “about 20 years in the making.” He also recounted the old bridge’s structure: 18 reinforced-concrete spans totaling about 647 feet.
The event’s speakers credited a multi-jurisdictional partnership for delivering the project. “I just want to thank our public works department. Uh thank the vice mayor. Thanks for the city folks, our federal folks, our state folks for showing up today,” said Supervisor Lloyd Pereira Jr., who said he lives nearby in Newman and has used both the old and the new bridge. Pereira praised contractors and staff, adding, “So, good job, Dave. Good job to our construction folks.” Officials said active construction lasted less than 14 months.
Why it matters: County officials stressed the bridge’s local transportation role. The crossing links communities including Patterson, Newman and the Los Banos area and provides a more modern route for daily travel and regional commerce between the I-5 and Highway 99 corridors.
What officials said will happen next: speakers directed attendees to the ceremonial ribbon-cutting area to formally open the bridge. The ceremony concluded with participants moving to the ribbon location and the scheduled ceremonial cut.
No votes or formal board actions were recorded during the remarks; the event functioned as a ceremonial opening and public acknowledgement of the project partners and contractors.
