Approve two agreements to acquire right-of-way for the County Road 41 Over Cache Creek (Rumsey) Bridge Replacement Project; delegate authority to the Director of Public Works to approve payment, open escrow, accept the fee simple deeds and easements, and record the deeds once the signed deeds have been received and escrow has closed. (No general fund impact) (Lindbo/Riddiough)

Permanent roadway and utility easements, fee title acquisitions, and temporary construction easements are required on properties for the County Road 41 Over Cache Creek (Rumsey) Bridge Replacement (Project).  Independent appraisals were prepared by Bender Rosenthal, Inc. (BRI), the County’s on-call appraisal consultant, to determine the value of the property interests the County must acquire for the Project.  County staff worked with the property owners to come to mutually acceptable agreements for the purchase and compensation of the property interests.

Background

The purpose of the Project is to replace the existing structurally deficient Rumsey Bridge that is near the end of its service life.  After extensive public outreach and assembling a feasibility study, the Board approved the following bridge replacement strategy on December 15, 2015:  an approximate 400-foot long, three span, cast-in-place, prestressed concrete box girder structure with 28 feet of clear width between concrete barriers.  The replacement bridge would be located west of the existing bridge along a new upstream alignment.  County Road 41 would also be oriented along a new bearing relative to the original alignment so that the new road intersects State Route 16 at a perpendicular angle.  This would improve the intersection geometrics relative to the existing condition and allow for the existing bridge to remain open during construction to accommodate traffic.

The Rumsey Bridge is listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its type, period, and method of construction, as a rare and significant example of a concrete tied arch bridge in the State of California.  Since the bridge will be replaced, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was executed on December 4, 2019, by the State of California and Yolo County to provide several historical mitigation actions, including installation of a monument that provides a brief history of the Rumsey Bridge, its engineering features, and its significance.  The Rumsey Improvement Association, the Greater Capay Valley Historical Society, and the Yolo County Historical Society each supported the proposed MOA mitigations as well.

The Board of Supervisors adopted the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) on September 29, 2020 for the Project, as the appropriate level of environmental review in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). On August 26, 2020, Caltrans concluded that a Categorical Exclusion was the appropriate determination for the Project under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Caltrans authorized the County to initiate the right-of-way (ROW) phase on March 11, 2021. In late 2022, the County’s appraiser, BRI, and Consor, the County’s survey consultant, began their work.  Consor placed stakes along all properties impacted by the Project. The stakes were used by BRI to perform appraisals and develop appraisal reports for all acquisition areas to determine fair market value. In April 2024, County staff began to contact all property owners to present written offers to acquire the right of way needed for the Project. County staff worked with the property owners to come to mutually acceptable agreements for the purchase and compensation of the property interests (see Attachments A and B).

Right of Way to be Acquired

The Project requires the acquisition of permanent right-of-way and easement interests on portions of properties owned by two property owners. 

County Counsel has approved both agreements as to form.

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