SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District and its contractor Kiewit Infrastructure will resume blasting operations September 12 as part of the Folsom Dam Auxiliary Spillway construction project, forcing short-term closures of Folsom Lake Crossing Road and the American River Bike Trail near the site.
The operation is designed to clear out rock from the outlet of the auxiliary spillway, creating an exit channel for water to flow from the spillway to the American River and is expected to be the final round of blasting for the project.
Blasting will take place between the hours of 7 and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday until September 30, and will cause temporary roadway and bike trail closures along Folsom Lake Crossing Road between Folsom-Auburn Road and Natoma Street.
Bike trail closures will begin each evening at 6:30 p.m. while road closures will begin at 7 p.m. and both will last until blasting is complete. Detour signs will direct motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to an alternate route.
Audible warning signals will alert the public of an impending blast and will signal when the operation is complete –
Five Minute Warning – five long horn blasts
One Minute Warning – 20 short horn blasts
All Clear – one long horn blast
The auxiliary spillway project is being constructed under the Corps’ Folsom Dam Modification Project, also called the Joint Federal Project, to implement dam safety and flood risk reduction features at Folsom Dam and associated facilities to help prevent catastrophic flooding in the Sacramento region. The auxiliary spillway is on track for completion in October 2017.
Release no. 16-031