NEWMAN — As construction progresses on the long-awaited replacement of the Hills Ferry Road Bridge, the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors has approved additional funding to support federally mandated habitat maintenance tied to the project.
At its July 1 meeting, the board authorized a $32,012 amendment with River Partners, a nonprofit environmental group, bringing the total contract to $220,281. The added funds will allow River Partners to maintain and monitor four transplanted elderberry shrubs, which serve as critical habitat for the federally protected Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle.
The elderberry plants were discovered during site clearing and were not part of the original environmental mitigation plan. They were moved to River Partners’ nearby restoration site at Crows Landing River Ranch and require ongoing care, documentation, and annual status updates under permit conditions set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Construction on the replacement bridge began earlier this year and marks a major step toward securing reliable access across the San Joaquin River for communities like Newman, Patterson, and Los Banos. The current bridge, built in 1961, has long faced structural concerns including seismic vulnerabilities, soil liquefaction risk, and bank erosion near its piers.
Replacing the 647-foot structure with a safer, modern bridge has been years in the making. The new design includes five reinforced concrete spans totaling approximately 750 feet in length, wider lanes and shoulders, and a raised profile to improve flood resilience. It also realigns Hills Ferry Road slightly north to allow traffic to continue flowing while construction is underway.
The project is funded through a mix of federal and state sources, including the Federal Highway Bridge Program, which will cover 88.5% of costs. The remainder is shared by Stanislaus and Merced counties, with additional help from the State’s seismic retrofit fund. In total, construction is estimated to cost about $31 million and is expected to be completed in under two full construction seasons.
Following completion of the new bridge, the old structure will be dismantled and removed in accordance with environmental standards. Local officials say the bridge project will serve as a vital lifeline for Westside communities for decades to come.
