Truckers ignored weight limit on old Seventh Street Bridge in Modesto. Fix is on

The century-old Seventh Street Bridge in Modesto will close for three days to repair damage done by trucks that exceeded the weight limit last month.

The current closure will be through 6 a.m. Monday, on the Tuolumne River span.

The damage happened during an Aug. 30 detour from a Crows Landing Road onramp to Highway 99, said David Leamon, interim public works director for Stanislaus County.

The bridge has a 4-ton limit because of its age, and semi drivers were directed to take their typically 40-ton loads to the Ninth Street Bridge. An estimated 100 drivers used Seventh Street anyway, and the vibration caused some of the concrete to crumble on an abutment on the south side, Leamon said.

A county crew installed wooden columns the next day to temporarily support that part of the bridge. The upcoming work will involve adding concrete to the abutment.

The repair is expected to cost $25,000 to $30,000 from a fuel tax fund. The county could seek reimbursement from a trucker’s insurer, Leamon said, but that is unlikely with the large number in this case.

The city and county already were planning on replacing the bridge, which was built in 1916 and served residents well for decades. The project is expected to cost about $34 million, mostly federal money, and finish in 2020 or 2021.

This story was originally published September 21, 2018 at 12:08 PM.