Full Notification

The Canyon Road Bridge continues to be closed to all traffic. Please use alternate routes. A special Town Council meeting was held on Thursday April 27, 2017 to provide an update on the bridge closure, declare a local emergency, and authorize an initial amount of $500,000 to reopen the road. The Moraga-Orinda Fire District provided an update on how to maintain emergency services for the community of Canyon and surrounding areas. Town staff and their team of engineers, including geotechnical and structural engineers, provided a briefing on the detrimental structural impacts to the bridge from the adjacent landslide, which necessitated the closure based on public safety considerations. The meeting was live-streamed and a recorded copy can be accessed via the Town's website.

Town bridge and geotechnical engineers have installed slope inclinometers to measure lateral movement of the adjacent landslide. They have determined that the slide is significant and relatively deep near the bridge, up to 28 feet below the ground. The slope inclinometer readings over this last week continue to show additional land movement pushing into the bridge. With this information, the bridge engineers have developed potential options to: 1) stabilize the slide and existing bridge; or 2) remove the existing bridge and replace with a specialized manufactured temporary bridge. In both cases, below ground deep pilings will need to be designed to protect the bridge by resisting future land movement. Next week, the bridge engineers will prepare a preliminary construction cost estimate and schedule for reopening the road.

The Town continues to publicize this bridge closure through media outlets and electronic resources, advise bicycle user groups through list serves, and request that traffic apps and maps reflect the closure. Please help spread the word by passing this information to anyone you know who may travel through the area. The Town will continue to provide information and updates as they become available. Please visit the Canyon Road Bridge webpage (link is on the Town website www.moraga.ca.us) for more information. Thank you for your patience as the Town continues its efforts to reopen the bridge.