Two river crossings – one that was destroyed a decade ago – will likely not be replaced for years to come. Environmental requirements were named as the main holdup.

The Calaveras County Board of Supervisors met Tuesday and voted unanimously to approve the allocation of more than $1.2 million in federal dollars for the environmental assessment and design phase of the two replacement projects – one on Singletree Drive outside Copperopolis and the other on Hogan Dam Road just south of New Hogan Reservoir.

“For the environmental and design, it’s up to four years,” said Tom Garcia, director of the Department of Public Works. “And that’s because of the (type of) habitat that’s been declared in Calaveras County. The studies we have to do are a little more onerous than a typical bridge crossing.”

Two endangered amphibians – the red-legged frog and the tiger salamander – have been found in the county, which means that projects that could impact their habitats must clear more hurdles in the planning process.

District 4 Supervisor Debbie Ponte questioned the extended timeline, but she acknowledged the reality of the environmental requirements.

“When we talk about – ‘We’re going to replace a bridge’ – it’s not going to happen a year from now. It’s going to happen six years from now. It’s a little misleading,” she said in reference to the project that’s been in the works for nearly a year already. “Now, we have a proposal for approval, but it’s a four-year period for environmental studies. Our hands are really tied to that timeline.”

She wondered what could be done to speed up the process, particularly for the bridge on Singletree Drive that was destroyed in 2003 when heavy rainfall swelled Little John Creek, which proved too much for the bridge to handle. The road has been closed ever since and the neglect has added to the timeline.

“That’s going to take a little longer because we’re going to have to do work on both sides (of the road) leading up to the bridge,” Garcia said.

Garcia anticipates that the bridge replacement on Singletree Drive could take a couple of construction seasons to complete, but the replacement of the low-water crossing on Hogan Dam Road should be far shorter.

“If we get a contract (in winter), they can get started by (spring) and get it done by the end of the season,” Garcia said.

The beginning of construction, however, is solely dependent on the speed of the environmental studies.

“We’ll work with the engineer to make sure they’re pretty aggressive to identify habitat. What we’re looking at (with the four-year timeline) is a worst-case window,” Garcia said.

Other news from the meeting:

The board voted 4-1 to uphold the recommended denial by the Planning Commission for a road project on private property in Jenny Lind.

At its last meeting, the board held a public hearing to address an appeal of the denial, and since that meeting, neighbors potentially affected by the project have voiced their concern over the proposal to put chip seal on the roadway rather than paving it.

The county administrative office pulled the agenda item that would have sought board approval for a five-year lease between the county and Malik Family Enterprises for library space in Copperopolis at the cost of $1,391 for the first three years and $1,530 for the final two.