PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Santa Margarita Parkway Bridge Hinge Repair Project (Project) will include reconstruction and repair of the hinge located on the westbound Santa Margarita Parkway (SMP) Bridge and additional routine bridge maintenance. The purpose of the hinge is to allow bridge spans to move independently of each other
The Santa Margarita Parkway bridge is a major arterial corridor and prominent gateway into the City. Given the importance of this infrastructure to the community, the City applied for and was granted, federal-aid funding through the Federal Highway Administrations’ (FHWA) Highway Bridge Program (HBP) - Bridge Preventive Maintenance Program (BPMP) which is administered by Caltrans. The program assists local jurisdictions to rehabilitate public bridges.
In 2008, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) performed a routine inspection of three City-owned bridges and noticed vertical and horizontal displacement on the westbound Santa Margarita Parkway (SMP) Bridge at its hinge. Caltrans recommended the City rehabilitate the hinge as part of the City’s normal bridge preventive maintenance program.