Bello Street Bridge Rehabilitation
Award
Bridge Project
Description
The Bello Street Bridge Replacement Project is located on Bello Street, east of Ocean View Avenue, in Pismo Beach, California. The project replaced the existing steel truss with a new prestressed concrete slab bridge. The original Bello Street Bridge over Pismo Creek was a 125-foot single-span steel Pratt through truss structure built in 1913. In 1983, the bridge was closed due to safety concerns primarily due to deterioration of the steel members; the
coastal environment caused severe corrosion. Rehabilitation of the structure was not feasible because of advanced deterioration of many of the main truss elements. The Bello Street Bridge has been closed to traffic for 40 years. The replacement bridge serves as a vital component of the local circulation system, restoring an important link over Pismo Creek to the rest of the City.
The lack of a safe, reliable crossing over Pismo Creek at this location forced local residents and City staff from the Corporation Yard to detour through the City using Dolliver Street, which increased congestion and delayed response times for police, fire, and public works. The reopening of Bello Street also restores part of the tsunami emergency evacuation route. Just recently during the Winter/Spring 2023 storm events, the bridge maintained access to and from the City Corporation Yard that would have otherwise been cut off due to downed power lines.
Branch
