The wait is nearly over for residents of the Sisquoc and Tepusquet communities eager for an easier commute across the Sisquoc River—and wine-lovers looking for more convenient access to local wineries.
The two-lane Tepusquet Road Bridge, which began construction in April 2009, will be dedicated at a ceremony on Feb. 27. The bridge permanently replaces a dirt road the county built across the river, unusable during rainy season, and connects Tepusquet and Santa Maria Mesa roads with Foxen Canyon Road. It allows for increased connectivity to the areas, especially for emergency vehicles, which previously had to drive a 12-mile loop to get around the river.
The bridge’s dedication ceremony will run from 1 to 4 p.m., followed by receptions at Kenneth Volk Vineyards, Cambria Estate Winery, and Riverbench Vineyard and Winery. The three wineries are providing food, wine, and entertainment for $15 as part of the festivities.
Stretching 700 feet long and 34 feet wide, the bridge features two 12-foot lanes with 5-foot-wide bike lanes on either side. The total cost of the project has been tabbed at $4.2 million, about $3.7 million of which came from the Federal Highway Bridge Program.
The bridge was designed by Quincy Engineering of Sacramento and built by Redding’s Shasta Contractors.
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 4, 2010.