Friday, December 20, 2013

Project Update - 8

This week the contractor worked to relocate the property owner's waterline under the new bridge and to regrade the road approaches to be ready for paving. The California Conservation Corp was out on Tuesday and Thursday to install erosion control material and install 140 native plants. The paving of the driveway was completed on Tuesday afternoon. The bridge railings are currently being built and nearly complete.

The California Conservation Corp (CCC) works to install erosion control blanket on the bare creek banks. The erosion control blankets are composed of coconut fibers and are 100% bio degradable.







The CCC also helped to install native riparian trees and understory plants at the site. Native plants for the project were grown by Santa Barbra Natives and Estero Natives from local seed stock and cuttings.







A photo of the newly paved driveway. The property owner now has access across the new bridge to his property.
The CCC crew also helped to install a drip irrigation system. The bridge railings are nearly complete and the contractor plans to be finished over the next few days. We will work with the property owner to monitor the project site and our native re-vegetation efforts over the next few years. Check back for updates and photographs as the native re-vegeation efforts take root and fill in the project site over time.

At the end of the day on Thursday we got some much needed rain and a rainbow! 

Friday, December 6, 2013

Project Update - 7

The bridge is in! The Pinkham project is nearing completion. The stream channel and rock slope protection work was finished last week. The bridge arrived on Thursday of this week and was installed today. The crane arrived early this morning to set up and the bridge was installed before noon. Next week the contractor will work to grade and pave the road approach up to the bridge. The railings will also be built and installed. The following week the CCC will be out to install erosion control material and native trees and shrubs to re-vegetate the site.

The completed stream channel waiting for the bridge to arrive. 











Specialty crane setting up the counter weight to the bridge. 
















The new bridge getting set in place. 

Friday, November 22, 2013

Project Update - 6

The Pinkham project is on track to finish up over the next few weeks. The back filling around the abutments was completed this week and the contractor worked to finish the channel and rock placement around the abutments. A California Conservation Corps crew was out to drill and anchor the log structures with threaded rod. Willow poles were placed throughout the rock lined channel. Poles that were placed a few weeks ago are already sprouting.

Shaw Contracting working to place rock around the abutments and build up the new stream channel.








The California Conservation Corps working to apply epoxy to secure and anchor the large woody debris structures.

Willow poles that were installed a few weeks ago are already sprouting. 











The project is on schedule for the bridge delivery during the first week of December. Check back next week for more updates. 

Friday, November 15, 2013

Project Update - 5

This week the wood forming around the abutments was removed. Once the concrete had set and reached the correct strength the contractor began back filling behind the abutments. This will continue into early next week. The California Conservation Corps will be out next week to help bolt and secure the log structures. The contractor will finish up the stream channel and begin placing the rock slope protection around the abutments.


The contractor beginning to fill in behind the southern abutment (far abutment).  The fill material is compacted and inspected in lifts.










By the end of the week the contractor was nearly finished filling in behind the south abutment.

Check back next week for more updates.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Project Update - 4

This week Shaw contracting continued to work on forming the abutments at the Pinkham project site. The concrete for the abutment wingwalls was poured today. The concrete will cure for a few days after which the wood forms will be stripped. By the end of next week the contractor should begin filling in behind the abutments with compacted soil.

The contractor working to shape and tie together the inner reinforcement structure of the abutments.
The abutments take shape as the last pieces of  wood forming go up around the rebar.











Check back next week to see the finished abutments.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Project Update - 3

This week the construction of the lower and upper portions of the creek channel was completed. The middle section of the channel is being used to access both sides of the creek and will be completed once the abutments have been back filled. The forming of the concrete footing is complete and the first concrete pour was done on Wednesday. Forming of the upper wingwall structure will continue into next week, with the final concrete pouring taking place at the end of next week.

Overview photo of the project site shows the completed downstream section of the stream channel and the access road that is needed through the middle of the creek. The abutments are fully formed in this photo and ready for the first pour of concrete.



Willow poles and other tree stakes were placed in to the toe of the stream channel as excavation occurred for the large rock key ways. These poles will re-vegetate the site and further help to stabilize the stream banks through this section.


The completed abutment footings after the first concrete pour.




The wood framing was striped off the footings on Thursday and forming of the upper wingwalls began today.

Check back next week for photos of the completed bridge abutments.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Project Update - 2

This week engineers from Questa Engineering were on site to oversee the construction of the stream channel at the Pinkham project site. The channel construction involved the placement of channel spanning boulder key-ways, two log structures, and engineered stream bed material. The forming of the footing of the bridge abutments began and the first poor of concrete is expected to happen next week.

From the lower end of the project site looking upstream, the project engineer checks channel elevations as the first boulder key way is placed.


The contractor works to form and place re-bar in the southern abutment.











One of the two large woody debris structures that was installed this week. The structures will provide channel complexity and rearing habitat for steelhead trout.











Friday, October 18, 2013

Project Update -1

The Pinkham fish passage restoration project is underway. The contractor mobilized to the site last week and began demolishing the concreted channel and existing bridge. This week all of the demolished materials were removed from the site. The contractor then began to excavate on either side of the creek at the location where the new bridge abutments will be constructed. Screened and properly compacted soil has been added to the base of the excavated area and forming of the new abutments should begin next week.

Earlier in the week Shaw contracting worked to remove the last of the concrete from the stream. Large rocks that were grouted into the stream banks and found in the channel will be reused in the new stream channel and rock slope protection later on in the project. 
 The large excavation marks the location of the northern new abutment. The contractor worked on both sides of the creek this week to excavate out what will be the base of the newly built abutment. 
From the north bank back across the creek at the south bank shows the large excavations for each abutment. Additionally the large amount of rock that was pulled out of the existing stream channel and banks that will be reused as rock slope protection and the new stream channel.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Pinkham Restoration Project Begins!

The Pinkham fish passage restoration project is now underway. Shaw Contracting has mobilized his equipment to the project site and begun to remove the concreted channel. The California Conservation Corps have been out on site salvaging willow and other tree material to be re-used in the re-vegetation efforts of the project. A few large trash cans were filled with water in order to keep the tree poles wet through the end of construction, at which time they will be planted throughout the disturbed areas. Shaw Contracting has begun to dismantle the existing bridge and demolition on the concreted channel and existing abutments. 


The California conservation Corps worked to install exclusionary fencing around the project site and salvage tree stakes prior to the mobilization of heavy equipment out to the site. 






The first day of construction began with the removal of the concrete downstream of the current crossing.  Vince Semonsen, the Biologist for the project observes as the project gets underway.  A hydraulic breaker bar was brought in to break apart the concrete in the channel and the existing abutments. 


Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Pinkahm Fish Passage Restoration

The Pinkham Fish Passage Restoration Project will remove on of the last steelhead migration barriers from the Carpinteria Creek Watershed. The project will remove and undersized bridge and nearly 100 foot section of concreted stream banks and channel. The stream channel will be regraded and rebuilt using native stream material to provide fish passage through the site. A new longer spanning bridge will also be installed as part of the project.

A before photo of the project site shows the undersized bridge and steep section of concreted channel that prevents steelhead trout from migrating upstream through the site.