Hauser Bridge replacement near Cazadero ramps up before Levi’s GranFondo

Workers will begin setting up steel today to replace an aging bridge on a remote road northwest of Cazadero, requiring its closure for several days this month, just before thousands of cyclists are supposed to use the route on a popular annual ride.

All through traffic will be detoured around Hauser Bridge for seven days - spread over three separate periods - as workers contracted by Sonoma County construct a two-lane bridge to replace the current 70-year-old, one-lane structure that suffers from corrosion and problems with its foundation.

The bridge, which crosses the south fork of the Gualala River, will be shut down for everyone - cars and cyclists - today through Saturday, as well as Sept. 11 through 13 and on Sept. 23. Traffic will be redirected via detours at the intersections of Tin Barn and King Ridge roads and at Kruse Ranch and Seaview roads from 7 a.m. through 8 p.m. on those days.

A narrow, steep passage winding through often thickly forested terrain, Hauser Bridge Road is a main segment of the annual Levi’s GranFondo, which is expected to draw 5,500 cyclists to participate in its ninth iteration Sept. 30.

About 3,000 entrants will take part in the 102-mile Gran Route that crosses Hauser Bridge, according to Carlos Perez, the founder of Santa Rosa-based Bike Monkey, which produces the event.

The county does not anticipate bridge construction to be a problem on race day, when riders will use the old bridge because the new one won’t be ready yet, said Susan Klassen, the county’s director of Transportation and Public Works.

“A lot of people come to ride the route before the GranFondo, so we are affecting people’s ability to do that with these closures,” Klassen said. “But as to the day of, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

A bigger issue to the GranFondo is the rough condition of the road leading up to the bridge, since the county cannot pay for pavement improvements until the end of the bridge project - which won’t be until after the ride.

Organizers are working to determine whether they can arrange to get the road patched in time for the ride, Perez said.

“The heavy equipment that the construction has been using has really trashed the road,” Perez said.

“It’s in pretty bad shape, to the point that if we weren’t able to get anything done before the ride, we would actually have to route riders another way for their safety.”

Perez advised cyclists to avoid Hauser Bridge Road until improvements are made, saying road bikes are “not equipped to handle that descent in the condition that it’s in right now.”

The bridge replacement has been in the works for at least five years, according to Klassen, who expects the new structure to be ready for traffic by mid-October.

Demolishing the old bridge is the next step, but that may have to wait until next year if it gets into the rainy season, Klassen said.

Erich Lynn, chief of the Timber Cove Fire Protection District, said he did not expect the detours to impact the sparsely populated community in northwestern Sonoma County, and praised contractor Granite Construction for communicating with local residents.

“We get road closures from trees down and rock slides, and everybody just learns to deal with it,” Lynn said. “We can work around it.”

You can reach Staff Writer J.D. Morris at 707-521-5337.