Work resumes tonight on Folsom spillway after morning traffic incident

Published July 30, 2013
Emergency personnel respond to the scene after a vehicle, shown at left, plunged more than 100 feet into the Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway project construction site in Folsom, Calif., July 30, 2013. Employees of the project contractor, Granite Construction Inc., were the first to respond to the incident and safely extracted the driver from the vehicle. An electrical cable supplying power to the project was the only damage to the construction site. Work is expected to resume during the evening of July 30.

Emergency personnel respond to the scene after a vehicle, shown at left, plunged more than 100 feet into the Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway project construction site in Folsom, Calif., July 30, 2013. Employees of the project contractor, Granite Construction Inc., were the first to respond to the incident and safely extracted the driver from the vehicle. An electrical cable supplying power to the project was the only damage to the construction site. Work is expected to resume during the evening of July 30.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Work on the Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway project is set to resume tonight after a vehicle plunged into the construction site, stopping work this morning.

At approximately 6 a.m., a vehicle veered from a westbound lane of Folsom Lake Crossing, crashed through a security fence surrounding the perimeter of the construction site and plunged more than 100 feet into the spillway pit. An electrical cable supplying power to the construction project was damaged as the vehicle tumbled down the rock face of the pit. That electrical line is currently being repaired. It is the only damage to the construction site.

The project was shutdown while emergency personnel responded to the incident and to allow damage to the project to be assessed. Work will resume tonight, though concrete placement will be delayed until tomorrow as necessary preparatory work was stopped this morning. Project staff state that the incident will not delay completion of the spillway.

Employees of the project contractor, Granite Construction Inc., were first to reach the scene and safely extracted the driver from the vehicle.

“Our construction team responded exactly as they should have and may well have saved a life today,” said Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway project director, David Thomas. “This act speaks volumes about the professionalism and dedication of the team – who happened to be in a safety meeting, of all things – that they made all the right choices to keep a very dangerous situation from becoming far worse. Now, we’re ready to get back to work and keep this project moving to reduce flood risk for Sacramento.”

Folsom Police Department is in charge of the incident investigation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers staff and employees of Granite Construction are doing whatever they can to support that effort.


Contact
Chris Gray
916-557-5100
chris.gray-garcia@usace.army.mil

Release no. 13-053