It’s a bridge that’s easy to overlook as motorists are gazing at ocean views from the nearby 101 Freeway west of Ventura. From some angles, however, the curved span along Pacific Coast Highway built in 1934 is a beautiful structure. Standing on the railroad tracks underneath the 1,220-foot-long bridge the impact from 91 years of weathering and corrosion becomes apparent, with rusty pieces of metal poking through broken concrete.
That’s part of the reason Caltrans engineers determined Ventura Overhead Bridge No. 52-0040 would be cost-prohibitive to fix and needs to be torn down and replaced. Demolition was scheduled to begin this fall and was pushed back to next spring, with a reconstruction phase that will take “approximately” two years, Caltrans officials said.
The $68 million project will shut down the State Beaches ramps along the 101 Freeway, so Rincon residents, RV campers and beachgoers will need to use the Seacliff ramps, about 6.5 miles away, while the project is underway…