TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Bob Moehling, Public Works Director
PREPARED BY: Jeff Hitch, City Engineer
SUBJECT:
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Declaration that Emergency Conditions Persist in Connection with the Hayes Avenue Bridge at Miller Canyon Creek
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RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
Adopt Resolution No. 25-4899 entitled: A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Murrieta, California, Declaring that Emergency Conditions Persist in Connection with the Hayes Avenue Bridge at Miller Canyon Creek.
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PRIOR ACTION/VOTE
On June 3, 2025, the City Council approved Resolution No. 25-4836, approving the Capital Improvement Plan Budget for Fiscal Year 2025/26, and the Fiscal Year 2025/26 to 2029/30 Capital Improvement Plan (Vote 5-0).
On June 17, 2025, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 25-4847, declaring that Emergency Conditions persist in connection with the Hayes Avenue Bridge at Miller Canyon Creek (Vote 5-0).
On July 1, 2025, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 25-4863, declaring that Emergency Conditions persist, appropriating funding, and approving the execution of a contract for reconstruction of the Hayes Avenue Bridge at Miller Canyon Creek (Vote 4-0).
On August 19, 2025, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 25-4882, declaring that Emergency Conditions persist in connection with the Hayes Avenue Bridge at Miller Canyon Creek (Vote 5-0).
On October 7, 2025, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 25-4891, declaring that Emergency Conditions persist in connection with the Hayes Avenue Bridge at Miller Canyon Creek (Vote 5-0).
CITY COUNCIL GOAL
Plan, program and create infrastructure development.
DISCUSSION
On February 6, 2025, staff encountered a pothole in the deck of the Hayes Avenue Bridge crossing Miller Canyon Creek, located generally between Ivy Street and B Street. Upon this discovery, Engineering staff believed the bridge could be unsafe and closed the bridge until further evaluation could be completed.
Michael Baker International (MBI) was contracted using the City’s existing on-call agreement to perform a structural evaluation of the bridge. The evaluation was performed, and a report was generated and provided to the City. The report concluded that the bridge is structurally deficient for fire truck access and needs to be replaced. The bridge has a span that is 15-feet long, is 24-feet wide, and has concrete abutments with wooden girders and decking covered with asphalt concrete. MBI subsequently provided the City with a proposal to provide environmental and engineering services for engineering plans and emergency environmental permits necessary to replace the bridge with an alternate reinforced concrete box culvert. The Regional Water Quality Control Board rejected the box culvert design resulting in a modification of the design to an arch-span bridge structure that has a soft bottom. The design of that structure is currently underway with Contech Engineered Solutions.
An emergency declaration was made on March 18, 2025, with subsequent declarations made in June, July, August, and October. The emergency declaration now needs to be extended again until the final design can be determined.
The emergency conditions will remain until the bridge has been repaired. Under the California Public Contract Code, the City Council is required to periodically review whether the emergency conditions have abated and/or continue, as well as to adopt a resolution by a four-fifths vote to confirm the continuation of the emergency or to declare the emergency to be concluded.
FISCAL IMPACT
None.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Resolution No. 25-4899
2. Vicinity Map