Photo courtesy of Papich Construction
Papich Construction Co. Inc. is installing two tunnels underneath U.S. 395 in Mono County as part of the Sonora Junction Shoulders Project.
Papich Construction Co. Inc. initiated operations on the California Department of Transportation's $16.8 million Sonora Junction Shoulders Project on May 14 in Mono County in eastern central California, a rural area adjacent to the Nevada border.
A key element of the project, taking place along U.S. 395, is the installation of two wildlife crossings beneath the highway this summer. The work along the two-lane scenic highway, with the Sierra Nevada in the background, is taking place along 3 mi. between Burcham Flat Road and State Route 108 North, 14 mi. north of Bridgeport.
Construction crews also are tasked with widening the shoulders of the highway to 8 ft., installing rail-element retaining walls and stabilizing cut slopes with anchored wire mesh.
Crews at Work
Papich expects to deliver the project in fall 2025. The work is expected to take approximately 160 working days, including a winter suspension. The traffic management plan on this isolated highway is based on one-way traffic control.
The two wildlife crossings are approximately 1.3 mi. apart from each other.
"Currently, the plan is to start and finish one crossing at a time, under two separate closures of Highway 395, one closure for each crossing," said the Papich Construction team. "Each crossing will require the full crew to complete. The first order of business is to excavate down to the bottom of the crossing and install the half built steel structure. The structures have been left partially constructed to their size and needing to move them into place. Once set in place, a crew will need to assemble the remainder of the crossing in place before backfilling and patching the roadway which needs to be reopened to traffic at the end of each closure period."
Photo courtesy of Papich Construction
Both wildlife crossings will be roughly 13 ft. from top of roadway to invert of the crossing when complete.
"The area will be excavated, culvert construction completed in place, backfilled and trench patched, and soil placed in the invert of the crossing," said Papich. "Each wildlife crossing is allocated a five-day closure of the highway. That is the max amount of time we are allowed on each culvert. At this time, work on these crossings is expected to be around the clock to complete each within the allowed closure window. There will be some overlap with crews working on the shoulder widening while other items of work are occurring. Most of the work outside of the drainage elements are being completed by subcontractors, so our crews will be working on the widening behind those subs."
Shoulder widening is anticipated to begin following the installation of rail element walls.
"Guardrail is one of the last elements of work and will be completed near the end of the second season," said Papich. "Cuts and fills will be occurring simultaneously with the shoulder widening as that excess dirt is required for the fills behind the rail element walls. The project has many environmental constraints and work windows so properly sequencing the work and ensuring all the subcontractors are on board with the sequence is going to be key to having a successful project.
"Most backfill materials will be generated from cut areas on the project site," Papich added. "For our items of work, the largest need is asphalt for the final paving, which will be roughly 18,000 tons. The two wildlife crossings will be 81 feet and 73 feet of structural steel late culverts, 150 linear feet of storm drain and two new cattle guards."
Apex Rockfall will install 113,000 sq. ft. of double twisted wire mesh, DC Hubbs Construction will install 10,800 sq. ft. of rail element wall, 19,600 linear ft. of fence, 3,200 linear ft. of cable railing and 4,520 linear ft. of guardrail. J&M Land Restoration will handle the final erosion control and landscaping, and Specialized Pavement Marking for the striping.
On-site, Papich has Kenny Beas and Mark Bower in conjunction with Foreman Tim Grell. Supporting the project from the main office are Jason Papich, Robert Dye and Taylor Hamil.
"Our team is working together hand-in-hand to complete the project timely and efficiently," said Papich.
Working in a remote site means that the equipment has to be in tip-top shape and that daily wear and tear repairs be done quickly.
"All equipment was thoroughly checked prior to shipment to ensure it is ready to go," said Papich. "Nothing major is anticipated beyond routine service. There will be no full time mechanic on-site. As service intervals approach or other issues are identified. a mechanic will be sent to check over all equipment on-site."
Papich purchases equipment and rents equipment from local and regional dealerships.
"There will be two full closures of U.S 395 through the project area scheduled for late summer," according to the project website. "Travelers are asked to be attentive to workers on the highway, slow for the cone zone, and move over whenever possible to remain clear of construction personnel and equipment."
Photo courtesy of Papich Construction
While the work is still in the early stages, key aspects of the project are shipping equipment and materials to the site and finding accommodation for the crews.
"Equipment is being transported by lowbed from various locations off other projects," according to Papich. "Most equipment being utilized will be Papich owned equipment. On-site trucking is being subcontracted. Currently we are utilizing excavators, a loader, a skid steer and a water truck. A paving spread will be required later on in the project. Due to distance, most pieces will arrive within two days depending on the location it is coming from and permits required for travel."
Currently in use on site are a Cat 325 excavator, a Cat 962H loader, a Cat 289D3 skid steer and a John Deere 85 mini-excavator. Future equipment will depend on what is available and fits the needs of the work at that time.
Securing housing for Papich personnel is important.
"Key staff are being housed in a local hotel," said Papich. "Efforts have been made to hire local employees and a few have been hired. Currently there are about 14 people on-site. More will be added as we get to the wildlife crossings."
Papich has experience in working in isolated areas of California.
"The distance to the nearest resources and quick changing weather are the biggest challenges," said Papich. "Most of the larger suppliers are at least an hour away from the site, so proper planning to ensure all materials needed for the shift are on site and ready to go is key to having a successful project. The weather can change in a hurry in the area as well. Mornings will be nice and warm, and the afternoon will get extremely windy or have the occasional thunderstorm. A high level of planning started back when Papich was identified as the apparent low bidder on the project back on bid day at the end of January. The planning really started to get in depth once we received a notice of award and subsequent contract in March so we could be ready for a mid-May start on the project."
Project Need
Helping out wildlife is a critical part of the project. They not only help to protect wildlife but minimize collisions between motorists and mule deer. The underground corrugated steel pipe circular tunnels can handle creatures as small as grouse to the large deer. Each ‘plate pipe' archway undercrossing will measure more than 70 ft. in length and stand between 9.5 ft. and 11 ft. high.
"By widening the paved shoulders and constructing wildlife crossings on this stretch of U.S. 395 in Mono County, Caltrans is continuing its commitment to safety and improving habitat connectivity," said Caltrans District 9 Director Ryan Dermody."
Photo courtesy of Papich Construction
"With 69 reported collisions since 2002 [many more incidents go unreported], Caltrans biologists identified this stretch of U.S. 395 as a crossing hotspot for the West Walker herd of mule deer," said Christopher Andriessen, a public information officer of Caltrans District 9. "Per our environmental team, the project area has been identified as an important movement corridor for the West Walker and Mono Lake herds of mule deer. During migration periods, these herds cross over 395 twice, most often during the night or at dusk or dawn. To mitigate the impacts this project would have on the mule deer, it was decided to install the wildlife crossings as part of the safety project. Caltrans environmental staff will monitor the success of these culverts over the long term to inform future wildlife crossing projects.
"The addition of two oversized culverts and fencing to direct animals away from traffic aims to reduce wildlife mortality rates on this stretch of U.S. 395," he added. "Other species native to the area that could use the underpass include sage grouse, badgers, wolverines and red foxes."
The project has been in development since 2016.
"Widening the shoulders, upgrading the guardrail, and adjusting the slopes are all meant to increase safety on this stretch of U.S. 395," Andriessen stated.
The project was funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) – also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (IIJA), which has California receiving an estimated $41.9 billion over five years. CEG
Irwin Rapoport
A journalist who started his career at a weekly community newspaper, Irwin Rapoport has written about construction and architecture for more than 15 years, as well as a variety of other subjects, such as recycling, environmental issues, business supply chains, property development, pulp and paper, agriculture, solar power and energy, and education. Getting the story right and illustrating the hard work and professionalism that goes into completing road, bridge, and building projects is important to him. A key element of his construction articles is to provide readers with an opportunity to see how general contractors and departments of transportation complete their projects and address challenges so that lessons learned can be shared with a wider audience.
Rapoport has a BA in History and a Minor in Political Science from Concordia University. His hobbies include hiking, birding, cycling, reading, going to concerts and plays, hanging out with friends and family, and architecture. He is keen to one day write an MA thesis on military and economic planning by the Great Powers prior to the start of the First World War.
Read more from Irwin Rapoport here.
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