Although the storms that caused a wash-out on Thomas Road and
destroyed its shoulders occurred more than three months ago, the
area’s local emergency status is still in effect and will probably
remain that way until as late as July, when the County Public Works
Department hopes to be able to fix the problem.
Hollister – Although the storms that caused a wash-out on Thomas Road and destroyed its shoulders occurred more than three months ago, the area’s local emergency status is still in effect and will probably remain that way until as late as July, when the County Public Works Department hopes to be able to fix the problem.
The washout, the result of several storms in late January, eroded the hillsides and cliffs surrounding about a 100-foot stretch of Thomas Road, according to Assistant Public Works Director Arman Nazemi. While the situation hasn’t deteriorated since the initial storms and traffic is still permitted on the road, Nazemi said it’s still vital the San Benito County Board of Supervisors reaffirm its status as a local emergency every 14 days, as they have been since February 1.
Without the emergency proclamations the repair work would be subject to environmental impact reports, Nazemi said, which would only add to the delay and cost associated with the project. But as long as the board continues to reaffirm its emergency status, Public Works will be able to go in and begin repair work as soon as the San Benito River dries up this summer.
“We did some restoration (initially), but because of the condition of the riverbed, it was too wet to actually send equipment down there,” Nazemi explained. “So it was almost impossible to do work from the bottom of the river. So we tried to work from the top, which is about 70-100 feet above the riverbed, but that didn’t work out, so we definitely need to go down into the riverbed, send equipment down there and restore the slopes.”
Once the riverbed is dry – Nazemi estimates by early- to mid-July – repairs should only take between four and 10 days to finish depending on what plan they decide on, he said.
The county has previously discussed plans to support the eroded slopes using a “soldier pile” system that would use steel beams cemented into long holes starting below the riverbed and running up the entire height of the slope to support the cliffs. At the cliff’s edge, the soldier pile method calls for precast concrete or wooden planks to hold back loose earth and rocks. This method would cost up to $258,000, Nazemi said, but he’s recently been introduced to a method that could cost around half as much.
Called “soil-nailing,” the relatively new method for retaining hillsides uses a high-powered gun to shoot pipes several inches in width about 20 feet into the hillside, then ties them off with galvanized netting to prevent further erosion and sliding.
Even with the soil-nailing, the Public Works Department will still have to go down into the riverbed to install large boulders that will support the eroded hillsides at their base, Nazemi said.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at [email protected].
