A project this fall to reconstruct the aging Portola Road bridge in Woodside to make it safer is nearing completion.

The construction of the new 81.5-foot-long by 30-foot-wide concrete bridge, located on Portola Road, about 3 miles south of central Woodside and 0.3 miles southeast of Woodside and La Honda roads, will cost about $1.97 million, according to an April report from town staff. The federal government is paying for 88.5% of project costs, while the town is covering 11.5%, staff said.

The project, which began in June, is slated for completion between the end of October and end of November, said Public Works Director Sean Rose in an email. Traffic is closed to one of the bridge's two lanes during construction, and a temporary traffic signal has been installed.

"The existing bridge, constructed in 1914, is in poor condition, and is considered 'functionally obsolete' due to the narrow width of the roadway and the bridge, and the lack of standard bridge rails and approach railings," according to a town staff report from 2020. The bridge carries traffic over Alambique Creek, a seasonal stream.

The alignment of the bridge's north approach does not meet federal standards for a bridge with 3,000 vehicle crossings a day, officials told The Almanac in 2014. A report by Caltrans found that parts of the concrete had deteriorated from the bridge.

The new bridge includes two 10-foot-wide lanes, a 5-foot-wide eastbound sidewalk, an about 2-foot-wide westbound shoulder and concrete barriers on both sides.

The bridge abutments are remaining in place to make sure the existing stream flow is not affected, the report states.