Politics & Government

More Than 25 Builders at Pre-Bid for Beaumont's Brookside Avenue Project

The planned bridge will be just south of Beaumont High School, on Brookside between Beaumont Avenue and Oak View Drive. An engineer's estimate for the completed project is $1.5 million to $1.7 million.

More than 25 builders, engineers and contractors attended a mandatory pre-bid meeting for the Brookside Avenue bridge project Thursday at Beaumont Civic Center.

The planned bridge will be just south of Beaumont High School, on Brookside between Beaumont Avenue and Oak View Drive. An engineer's estimate for the completed project is $1.5 million to $1.7 million.

The "arch culvert bridge" over Noble Creek is necessary first and foremost for students' safety, said Ponce Yambot, administrative engineer with Beaumont Public Works.

Find out what's happening in Banning-Beaumontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"It's necessary for public safety," Yambot said. "Students from the school will be able to walk on dry ground, and wouldn't have to cross the wash.

"When the water crosses over the street we close the street," Yambot said. "We have a gate there to prevent kids from crossing the water.

Find out what's happening in Banning-Beaumontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Once or twice a year we have to close the street. It's a risky situation because whenever someone wants to cross a wash, it's dangerous."

Noble Creek drains a vast mountain watershed, and at Brookside Avenue it is capable of producing 11,000 cubic feet per second in a maximum 100-year event, Yambot said.

Contractors will be "asked to build something that's as wide as 40 feet and as high as 10 feet from the existing flow line," Yambot said.

The project will include a bridge for cars, bicycles, pedestrians, and maybe golf carts, City Manager Alan Kapanicas said. Road improvements, water and gas lines are also included in the project.

City officials hope to have the project completed by June 2012.

Brookside will be closed "about eight months" during construction, Kapanicas said.

Builders and their representatives at Thursday's meetings included people who listed Riverside and Los Angeles in the names of their businesses.

The city of Beaumont will accept sealed bids for the bridge and street improvement project up to 10 a.m. Oct. 5.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here