On Thursday, Caltrans District 1 is hosting a community meeting on the future of Fernbridge.
The public scoping session will take place at Ferndale City Hall, 834 Main St., from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., as the agency begins preparing an environmental impact report on a series of options for the 115-year-old span across the Eel River.
Built in 1911, the 1,320-foot-long structure known as the “Queen of Bridges” suffered major damage in the magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck the region on Dec. 20, 2022. The follow-up temblor that hit on Jan. 1, 2023, “increased pressure on the bridge,” according to the agency. Emergency repairs were completed in March of that year.
Called the Ferndale Access Project, seven alternatives are currently on the table. Those range from rehabilitating the current structure to building a new one and demolishing Fernbridge or leaving the historic structure up for foot and bike traffic, with several options in between. The project is estimated to cost up to $355 million and take up to 15 years to complete.
“The meeting will give community members a chance to learn about early project concepts and provide input as environmental studies begin,” the agency said in a social media post. “The project is exploring long-term options to maintain reliable access to the city of Ferndale, including a structurally resilient bridge that meets modern design standards and helps reduce the risk of damage from future seismic events.”
Caltrans is currently taking “input on the scope and content of the EIR” and will be accepting comments until 5 p.m. on April 17.
For more information, visit the Ferndale Access Project page here.