A view from on high of new bridge rising along Tuolumne River at Santa Fe Avenue

Work is well under way on the replacement of the Santa Fe Avenue bridge over the Tuolumne River near Empire.

Myers & Sons Construction is carrying out the $13.1 million project for the Stanislaus County Department of Public Works. The county got $12 million in federal money for the work, expected to be done in 2020.

The current bridge was built in 1947 and has become “functionally obsolete,” with no shoulders along its two lanes, the department website said. The new span will have two travel lanes with shoulders, along with a center turn lane to reach driveways on both ends.

Visit www.modbee.com for a video taken with The Modesto Bee’s drone.

This story was originally published December 3, 2017 at 5:18 PM with the headline "A view from on high of new bridge rising along Tuolumne River at Santa Fe Avenue."