Construction on the Big Bear replacement bridge along Highway 18 will begin this Spring, but there is a groundbreaking ceremony this Thursday (March 11) at the PAC (Big Bear Lake Performing Arts Center). Officials from Caltrans, the City of Big Bear Lake, San Bernardino County, the Big Bear Chamber of Commerce, and the Fawnskin Chamber of Commerce are all expected to attend. The event is open to the public and starts at 11am. FCI Constructors, Inc. will be in charge of the $39 million project which will replace the existing bridge with a new structure on the south side of the dam. It will have 3 lanes (12 feet wide) as opposed to two. One westbound lane will have a right turn option, 10' shoulders, and a 5 foot ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant sidewalk on one side of the bridge. Caltrans states that most of the construction will take place during the week, with no detours or closures planned. They emphasized that the project is needed to separate the highway from the dam, in order to allow owners of the dam to make seismic and operational improvements and ensure year-round access to the Big Bear region. Estimated completion date is suppose to be in the Fall of 2011. For more information regarding the project, or to avoid any traffic delays you can sign up for project alerts at www.caltrans8.info and go to CT Connect.

Related Articles:
Caltrans awards contract for Big Bear Bridge (Big Bear Grizzly, 12/3/2008)
Lane closure expected as $39 million Big Bear Bridge project begins (Inside SoCal 2/5/2009)
Project to replace, widen bridge at Big Bear Dam (Press Enterprise, 2/6/2009)
Big Bear Bridge Groundbreaking Tomorrow (Rim of the World, 3/4/2009)
Big Bear Dam Party & You're Invited (Fawnskin Flyer)
Bridge Groundbreaking Ceremony set March 5 (Big Bear Grizzly, 3/4/2009)
Let's Build a Bridge: Local officials come together for groundbreaking ceremony for the Big Bear Bridge (KBHR, 3/6/2009)

Also posted at www.bigbearlakefrontinfo.com