UC Berkeley expert contradicts Caltrans on replacement of Albion, Salmon Creek bridges
(Editor”s note: This newspaper will feature a full story in the Aug. 14 edition on Astaneh”s two-hour-plus presentation and later feature responses from Caltrans, if that information is forthcoming.)
A bridge expert and UC Berkeley professor of structural and bridge engineering told a packed Ledford House audience last Tuesday in Albion he sees no reason to replace either the Albion River or Salmon Creek bridges.
Dr. Hassan Astaneh was hired to do an independent assessment by John Danhakl, who lives south of the Salmon Creek Bridge. Danhakl picked Astaneh because of his credentials and didn”t know him before that.
“My conclusion is that there is absolutely no engineering or economical reasons to replace the Albion River Bridge. As I have shown in [an extensive report], the arguments that Caltrans has made to justify the replacement does not hold up to engineering and scientific scrutiny,” Astaneh said.
Astaneh, assisted by Danhakl, took hundreds of digital pictures of both bridges over several days before the meeting and probed the wood and steel. What he found contradicted Caltrans” negative portrayal of the two bridges and turned the discussion of the project on its head. Many Albion residents had been swayed by the amiable Frank Demling of Caltrans, who is in charge of the project to replace both bridges. Demling was in the audience at the Aug. 5 presentation but specified he would not be responding to Astaneh at the meeting but would instead respond to residents at a later meeting about what the professor said.
Astaneh said this was just the beginning of the process and he was open to responding to more information from Caltrans. He had reviewed some but not all of the documents Demling has made available in hard copy or online.
Deck
He said the deck on the Salmon Creek Bridge could be replaced at a fraction of the cost and inconvenience as replacing the entire structure, which he said is sound and could remain so indefinitely if protected with high quality modern paints.
He even disagreed with Caltrans” assessment that the deck of the Albion River Bridge needs replacement, based on the information he had and the way the asphalt has deteriorated. A local resident told Astaneh he saw Caltrans use hot tar and reuse old asphalt for the deck, which made the professor cringe.
Astaneh”s photos included two bad spots in the Albion River Bridge. He told how those could be replaced while saving the historic lumber. Astaneh was enamored with the beauty and heroic history of the Albion River Bridge and said Albion residents should save it for future generations.
“This is a treasure you have right here,” he said.
He talked to contractors who build modern wood bridges and said if the recycled Feather River Canyon railroad bridge that was installed in about 1943 needs replacing, wood could be used for the entire structure.
Astaneh”s comments ranged from very high praise for Caltrans for doing a superb job of retrofitting the Salmon Creek Bridge to questioning the ethics of a Caltrans presentation on the Albion Creek Bridge and tsunamis. The presentation featured a video of the 2011 Japanese earthquake carrying boats and trains. He said the video mischaracterized the situation and Caltrans ”own reports, which say the Albion River Bridge would be good in a tsunami but might get damaged by backwash. He described how far a tsunami would go inland and how much warning would be likely from subduction zones. He said bridges aren”t normally built for 1000-year tsunami events.
