One-way Traffic Control on Two Bridges on State Route 116, to Replace Bridge Safety Railings in Sonoma County

Two month-long traffic control begins in June 2026

Sonoma County - Caltrans will start a project in June 2026 to replace bridge safety railings. This will require one-way traffic control on two State Route 116 bridges in Sonoma County, between Forestville and the western outskirts of Cotati. Caltrans will also replace the railings on a third bridge, but that bridge is wide enough to avoid one-way traffic control.

Traffic control will be in effect for approximately two months on the Jones Creek and Blucher Creek bridges. The Gossage Creek Bridge has a center left turn lane that can be converted to an active lane, when necessary to avoid one-way traffic control. ridges.

Environmental regulations make June the earliest month that Caltrans is permitted to work in a Sonoma County creek bed. The Jones Creek Bridge was built in 1921 and rebuilt in 1956. Its railings are 70 years old. The Gossage Creek Bridge was built in 1936, and the Blucher Creek Bridge in 1938. Both have railings as old as the bridges themselves.

While the bridge railings look very similar to guardrails, they differ in how they are secured in place. While guardrail posts can be driven into the soil and concreted in place, the posts of bridge railings cannot be sunk into the waters of a creek. Instead, they must be placed within the concrete of the road itself. Therefore, replacing them requires demolition of the better part of a traffic lane, which is why one-way traffic control is necessary to complete the work.

All work is weather dependent.

For 24/7 traffic updates, please visit 511.org: https://x.com/511SFBay
For real-time information, visit Caltrans QuickMap: https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov
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Or call 1-800-472-7623, 1-800-427-ROAD for state highway conditions statewide.