Jesse Gothan, City of Sacramento, provided an update on what will be the first new crossing of the Sacramento River in the area in the last 50 years: the I Street Bridge.  This bridge will functionally replace the existing upper deck of the existing I Street Bridge that is used by vehicle and pedestrian traffic.  Railroad will continue to operate on the lower deck of the existing I Street Bridge.  The new bridge will connect C Street in West Sacramento with Railyards Blvd in Sacramento providing a vital link between West Sacramento and the new Railyards developments including the planned Kaiser Medical Center and Sacramento Republic soccer stadium.

The new bridge will be a movable lift span, similar in concept to Tower Bridge, to provide vertical clearance for water traffic.  One of the most important users of the water way is the tug boat and barge used to respond to levee failures up and down the Sacramento River. The new bridge will have two traffic lanes as well as a center lane for street cars and turning vehicles.  The new bridge will also have bike lanes as well as pedestrian walkways that will tie into the levee walk on the West Sacramento side and the Sacramento Bike Trail on the Sacramento side. As a part of this project, the existing approach ramps to the upper deck of the existing I Street Bridge will be demolished including the Jibboom Viaduct and the J and I Street ramps on the Sacramento side and the C Street ramp on the West Sacramento side.

The I Street Project is currently finalizing the preliminary design of the lift movable span with the help of architectural consultant T.Y. Lin.  A variety of design concepts were shared with the public and multiple public workshops and advisory committees have been held to help select a preferred design alternative.  Currently, there are two remaining preferred design a9lternatives that include a through truss design and a arch deck truss design.

Final Design is slated to be completed in 2020 and Construction is expected to last 3 years giving an anticipated opening year of 2024.