The retrofit of the 1921 steel truss bridge over the Russian River at Healdsburg has received an award from the American Public Works Association as “Project of the Year.”
Known locally as Memorial Bridge, the classic structure was almost demolished after CalTrans inspected it and found it to be structurally insufficient to handle a siginificant earthquake.
A series of lucky breaks saved the bridge. For many years, the city of Healdsburg did not tackle the bridge replacement due to lack of funds and resistance by bridge preservationists.
Once the city decided to undertake a solution to the problem, then-city councilmember Gary Plass asked Mel Amato, a local engineer, to review the CalTrans documentation declaring the bridge unfit.
Over the next few years, the bridge became an obsession for Amato, who found that CalTrans’ original calculations were in error and lobbied the city to undertake a retrofit instead of a replacement.
The renovated structure opened in the Fall of 2015 and was officially rededicated last August, where Amato cut the red ribbon.
