To replace the existing 12-span, 180-foot-long Timber Stringer Trestle-Ballast Deck (TST-BD) single track railroad bridge crossing Best Slough with a seven 7-span, 210-foot long Prestressed Concrete Box (PCB) bridge on six (6) bents. Each bent consists of three (3) steel H-piles driven into the floodway. Rip rap will be placed at bridge abutments for scour protection. Approximately 0.15 mile southeast of South Beale Road, a temporary ramp made of ballast and gravel is proposed for a side-track crossing needed to access the site. For construction purposes, a temporary work bridge supported by piles will also be installed on the eastern side of the existing railroad bridge.
The project is located where the existing UPRR Valley Subdivision line crosses Best Slough, a perennial stream, approximately 2.5 miles northwest of the City of Wheatland.
Board staff has determined that the project is statutorily exempt under the provisions of the CEQA and the State CEQA Guidelines. The Board’s approval involves issuing an encroachment permit for replacement of an existing railroad bridge that is related to the institution or increase of passenger or commuter service of rail lines already in use, which is exempt under the statutory exemption of the Public Resources Code Section 21080(b)(10) and CEQA Guidelines Section 15275(a). In addition, the project is exempt from CEQA under the Class 2, Replacement or Reconstruction (CEQA Guidelines § 15302), because the activity consists of replacement and reconstruction of an existing structure in the same location and will have substantially the same purpose and capacity as the replaced structure. Further, none of the exceptions to the exemption in CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 apply.
Please note, the NOE is not attached. If you would like to request a signed copy of the NOE, please contact Board Staff at: questions@cvflood.ca.gov.
