The American River Debris Removal CMGC Project
June 27, 2025Job Number: 0437
Replace job narrative: For six decades, 750 tons of submerged wreckage from the original Route 49 Bridge marred the American River near Auburn following a 1964 dam disaster. Leveraging the Construction Manager/General Contractor (CMGC) delivery method, Placer County partnered with Myers & Sons Construction and resource agencies to solve an infeasible extraction challenge. Working within a steep, sensitive canyon and a tight in-water work window, the team constructed a temporary access road and utilized spider excavators and commercial divers to extract 450 tons of steel and 600 cubic yards of concrete from depths reaching 30 feet. By reusing native river rock for a temporary work platform instead of importing 1,260 tons of material, the team significantly reduced material hauling and eliminated planned rock-pad removal costs. Completed a year ahead of schedule and well under budget with zero OSHA recordable incidents across 5,680 manhours, this collaborative triumph successfully restored the pristine waterway, erasing six decades of environmental hazard.
