SCH Number 2021050196

Project Info

Title

Portuguese Creek and Cade Creek Fish Passage Project

Description

The California Department of Transportation, using state and federal funding, proposes to replace existing culverts with new bridges at Cade Creek and Portuguese Creek and restore/reconstruct the stream channels upstream and downstream of the new bridges. The project is located on State Route 96 in Siskiyou County at PM 43.5 (Cade Creek) and at PM 57.0 (Portuguese Creek). The purpose of the project is to provide structurally sound structures that meet current highway standards and fish passage criteria as mandated by state and federal law. The project is needed because the Portuguese Creek and Cade Creek culverts were built in the 1940’s and the structures have corroded inverts and piping under the culvert structures. In addition to the structure deterioration, the culverts have been identified as a significant passage barrier for miles of potential habitat for anadromous fish species. The project would benefit several species of anadromous salmonids known to utilize the Klamath River and its tributaries, including the southern Oregon northern California coast (SONCC) coho salmon (federal and state Threatened), steelhead–Klamath Mountains Province Evolutionary Significant Unit (ESU) (state Species of Special Concern and Forest Service Sensitive), Chinook salmon–upper Klamath and Trinity rivers ESU (federal candidate, state candidate-Endangered, state Species of Special Concern, and Forest Service Sensitive), and summer-run steelhead trout (state candidate Endangered, state Species of Special Concern, and Forest Service Sensitive). In addition, the project would improve the quality of critical habitat designated for the SONCC coho salmon in Cade Creek and Portuguese Creek and improve the quality of essential fish habitat for salmon in these two streams. Approximately 2.58 miles of stream habitat in Cade Creek and 2.78 miles of stream habitat in Portuguese Creek would become accessible to anadromous salmonids upon completion of work. The project may also provide opportunities to mitigate impacts to riverine habitat (e.g., streams and rivers) and anadromous salmonids resulting from other Caltrans transportation projects constructed within the Klamath River watershed. Work at Cade Creek would include: • Constructing a temporary detour that is approximately 16 feet wide and includes a clear-span steel truss bridge that is approximately 135 feet long and located a minimum of 10 feet from the existing edge of pavement on the north side of the highway. The foundations for the temporary bridge would be spread footings and would be installed outside the ordinary high-water mark; pile driving would not be required. • Diverting water around in-channel work areas and dewatering as needed. • Replacing the existing culvert that is approximately 86 feet long and 8 feet in diameter with a clear-span bridge that is approximately 101 feet long, 44 feet wide, and located on the existing alignment. The foundations for the new bridge would be H-piles installed outside the ordinary high-water mark using a pile driver. The new bridge would receive architectural treatment to replicate the treatments that were done at Fort Goff Bridge (State Route 96 in Siskiyou County at post mile 56). The railing would receive a stain that produces a rust color and the concrete transition end blocks and abutments would receive a rock texture and stain to match local rock. • Placing approximately 628 cubic yards of non-grouted rock slope protection (RSP) under the bridge to reduce scour. This would include armoring the side slopes of the channel with a 3.6-foot deep layer of 1-ton RSP placed over a 0.75-foot deep layer of clean washed gravel filter. The streambed would include a 6.3-foot deep layer of 1ton RSP with void filler at the bottom. • Restoring approximately 86 lineal feet of streambed by removing the existing culvert. • Reconstructing the stream channel for a distance of approximately 86 lineal feet upstream and 55 lineal feet downstream of the road centerline. Reconstructing the stream channel would consist of grading/recontouring the streambed upstream and downstream of the road centerline, slightly realigning the stream channel upstream of the roadway, placing new boulder clusters at random locations within the stream channel, and removal of riparian vegetation as needed. • Replacing approximately 1,100 feet of roadway with new structural section that has paved shoulders 4 to 8 feet wide to accommodate the new bridge. Approximately 400 lineal feet of 8-foot-wide paved shoulders would be constructed west of the new bridge and approximately 600 lineal feet of 4-foot-wide paved shoulders would be constructed east of the new bridge. • Installing approximately 438 lineal feet of new guardrail. • Installing biostrips for stormwater treatment. • Relocating underground telephone cable owned and maintained by Siskiyou Telephone. • Removing a water drafting apparatus from Cade Creek downstream of the roadway to accommodate the stream restoration work. Negotiations with the owner of the water drafting apparatus will be conducted to compensate for the removal of the water drafting apparatus from its current location. • Installing a drainage inlet just east of a private driveway to collect runoff before it crosses the driveway. Work at Portuguese Creek would include: • Constructing a temporary detour that is approximately 16 feet wide and includes a clear-span steel truss bridge that is approximately 80 feet long and located approximately 20 to 30 feet from the existing edge of pavement on the north side of the highway. The foundations for the temporary bridge would be spread footings and would be installed outside the ordinary high-water mark; pile driving would not be required. • Diverting water around in-channel work areas and dewatering as needed. • Replacing the existing culvert that is approximately 85 feet long and 14 feet in diameter with a clear-span bridge that is approximately 100 feet long, 44 feet wide, and located on the existing alignment. The foundations for the new bridge would be rock-socketed cast-in-drilled-hole (CIDH) piles with permanent steel casings installed outside the ordinary high-water mark; pile driving would not be required. The new bridge would receive architectural treatment to replicate the treatments that were done at Fort Goff Bridge (State Route 96 in Siskiyou County at post mile 56). The railing would receive a stain that produces a rust color and the concrete transition end blocks and abutments would receive a rock texture and stain to match local rock. • Placing approximately 924 cubic yards of non-grouted RSP under the bridge to reduce scour. This would include armoring the streambanks with a 3.8-foot deep layer of 1-ton RSP placed over a 0.75-foot deep layer of clean washed gravel. The streambed would include a 6.7-foot deep layer of 1-ton RSP with void filler at the bottom. • Restoring approximately 85 lineal feet of streambed by removing the existing culvert. • Reconstructing the stream channel for a distance of approximately 70 lineal feet upstream and 103 lineal feet downstream of the road centerline. Reconstructing the stream channel would consist of grading/recontouring the streambed, placing new boulder clusters at random locations within the stream channel, and removal of riparian vegetation as needed. • Replacing approximately 600 feet of roadway along the existing alignment with new structural section and widening the shoulders to 8 feet to accommodate the new bridge. • Installing approximately 213 lineal feet of new guardrail. • Installing biostrips for stormwater treatment. • Relocating buried fiber-optic cables owned and maintained by AT&T and an underground telephone cable owned and maintained by Siskiyou Telephone. Following contract approval in June 2023, the contractor would begin installation of CIDH piles and H-piles for the new bridges at Portuguese Creek and Cade Creek, respectively. Traffic control would consist of one-way reversing traffic on the existing highway. After completion of the pile foundation construction, work would be suspended. In May 2024, construction of temporary detours utilizing steel truss bridges would begin at both work locations. Once the temporary detours are in place, traffic would be shifted off the existing roadway and onto the detours. Traffic control would consist of one-way reversing traffic on the temporary detours. Construction of the new bridges would begin in summer 2024 and should be completed by October of that year. Upon completion of the new bridges, traffic would be shifted back onto the existing roadway and the temporary detours would be removed. If paving/striping work is not completed in 2024, it would be completed in 2025. Staging/Stockpiling Staging/stockpiling would occur within Caltrans’ right-of-way in turnouts within the project limits at both Cade Creek and Portuguese Creek. Disposal/Borrow Sites Construction of the project would require vegetation removal and would disturb approximately 1.09 acres of ground surface (~0.75 acres at Cade Creek and ~0.34 acres at Portuguese Creek) and require the excavation of approximately 14,345 cubic yards of soil (~9,632 cubic yards at Cade Creek and ~4,713 cubic yards at Portuguese Creek). Work at Cade Creek and Portuguese Creek would require the use of two disposal sites that are located on private property. One disposal site is located at PM 41.70 and the other disposal site is located at PM 43.60. Approximately 6,235 cubic yards of soil excavated at the Cade Creek work area and approximately 2,595 cubic yards of soil excavated at the Portuguese Creek work area would be disposed of at the disposal sites. Construction of the project would generate approximately 1,766 cubic yards of asphalt grindings, which would become property of the contractor. Asphalt grindings may be reused onsite (excluding a minimal amount of grindings associated with yellow and white road striping). Right-of-Way Work would occur inside Caltrans’ right-of-way on federal land that is managed by the Klamath National Forest throughout most of the project limits. Work would occur outside Caltrans’ right-of-way on federal land that is managed by the Klamath National Forest along Cade Creek upstream of the roadway and along Portuguese Creek upstream and downstream of the roadway. Work occurring outside Caltrans’ right-of-way on private property is limited to the two disposal sites (PM 41.70 and 43.60) and along Cade Creek downstream of the roadway. No right-of-way would be permanently acquired. A site plan is provided in Appendix A.

3 documents in project