This week, Jack Creek Road Bridge is closed from 7:30 am. to 3:30 p.m. as crews begin prepping for the bridge's reconstruction later this summer.
Located in West Templeton near Highway 46, the 87-year-old bridge is awaiting repair.
Aaron Hope, Civil Engineer for San Luis Obispo County, said the decades-old structure is one of several the county selected to repair as part of the Highway Bridge Program.
"We are targeting our bridges that are typically found to be deficient or don't meet modern standards. For example, Jack Creek Bridge is a timber bridge that was built in 1938 and is well past its useful life," Hope said.
To make the bridge safer and stronger, they plan to widen it from one to two lanes.
"It'll be a little bit longer than the existing bridge, but it will be a concrete box girder that will span the creek and will be able to carry modern loads, will be seismically stable and, most importantly, will be wide enough so that firefighting equipment and emergency equipment can access the bridge in the cases of emergency or a fire situation," Hope said.
Other bridges that have been repaired through this program include the El Camino Real Bridge and Dover Creek Canyon Bridge.
The program allows San Luis Obispo County to be reimbursed for about 90% of bridge repair costs. Repairing the Jack Creek Road Bridge is estimated to cost $4 million.
Templeton resident Steven Reilly is looking forward to the bridge's restoration.
"It's overdue," Reilly said. "I'm glad they're getting to it."
He added that while the bridge is located in a rural part of Templeton, it's used often.
"A lot of people use this road to take a shortcut to Highway 46 West, so there's actually a reasonable amount of traffic from regular commuters," Reilly said.
Construction is expected to begin in early summer 2025 and wrap up in the fall.
