In response to American Whitewater and community advocacy to follow CA Streets & Highway Code 991, the Transportation Division of the El Dorado County Community Development Agency issued an invitation to comment on river access for the Mosquito Bridge Replacement Project. Mosquito Road Bridge is one of two public take-out sites for the South Fork American River below Slab Creek and allows paddlers the option to take out before the Cls V Motherlode Falls Rapid. Thus it is important for paddlers to take the opportunity to comment with specific river access needs at Mosquito Road Bridge. Some examples include:
- Year around vehicle access to the river on the South Placerville side of Mosquito Road
- Additional parking spaces by the river on the South Placerville side of Mosquito Road
- Additional parking spaces by the hairpin turn on the South Placerville side of Mosquito Road
- If only seasonal vehicle access on Mosquito Road coordinate with scheduled recreational flow releases on the South Fork American River below Slab Creek which will be available between March to May or the month of October
- If only seasonal vehicle access or no vehicle access via Mosquito Road provide turnout and parking on both sides of the new bridge to allow for a ½ mile hike from the North Swansboro side and a 1 mile hike from the South Placerville side down to the river.
- Maintain the old Mosquito Road Bridge as a pedestrian walkway.
The County memo outlines that unless funding is identified for the maintenance of the old Mosquito Road Bridge it will be removed. Additionally they ask for feedback as to “level of willingness to contribute to a share of the road maintenance.” To that end for your comments, American Whitewater notes that the County has received an initial payment from a Cooperation Agreement with Sacramento Municipal Utility District totaling $2.6 million and receives an annual amount of $590,000 for the 50 year term of the FERC license for the Upper American River Project (UARP). The annual payments are to be “utilized by the County for purposes of road maintenance, watershed management, and other miscellaneous activities related to the UARP and its impacts on facilities owned or services provided by, or any resource or other interest within the jurisdiction of, the County.” (See Page 8 Section 4.4 Use of Payment Funds) Therefore, AW believes it is entirely appropriate to request some of this funding be used on river access for the Mosquito Road Bridge Project.
Comments are due by December 31st. Please Email them to:
Janet Postlewait, Principal Planner
El Dorado County Community Development Agency
Photo by Darrick Hilbert taken 05/23/05 @ 3500cfs