The San Juan River bridge project on County Road 5500 will be put out to a competitive bidding process.
In 2017, a structural analysis of the Road 5500 bridge over the San Juan River revealed that the more than 50-year-old bridge was not up to standards and forced San Juan County to close one lane of the bridge and reduce the weight rating by almost half.
San Juan County has pursued plans to replace the aging bridge and the funding to accomplish the project. The bridge is now fully-designed, to exceed today’s standards and prepare for the future, and fully-funded, through various state and local sources. State legislators and New Mexico Department of Transportation District 5 were instrumental in securing funding for this project.
Regional construction companies are invited to bid on the bridge replacement project, which will include two travel lanes, shoulder and a protected pedestrian sidewalk. The new bridge will be about 4 feet higher than the current bridge to better accommodate high river flows and flooding conditions.
Bids on the project will be accepted through Jan. 19, 2021. The project is expected to be awarded in February 2021, and construction to begin thereafter.
During construction, the current County Road 5500 bridge will remain open to one lane of alternating traffic. Motorists should be aware of possible construction delays.
The project is expected to take about nine months and be completed by late fall 2021.
For more information, visit www.SJCounty.net.
