Ventura River Diversion Urged to Ease Bridge Repairs

Saying Ventura’s Main Street Bridge might topple if it is not repaired soon, Ventura City Councilman Jim Monahan on Friday proposed diverting the Ventura River eastward to give crews better access to the bridge’s supports.

“This is a very small window we have,” Monahan said, adding that more storms could hit Ventura soon. “If the bridge drops, we’ll have a big problem.”

The bridge suffered an estimated $300,000 in damages in this month’s storms, and if the river is not diverted, officials may have to wait months until the riverbed dries out enough to allow crews to make repairs.

Monahan did not know how much his project would cost or if the city could get state funds to pay for it. County flood control officials and city public works employees were not available for comment Friday.

Monahan said the river habitually shifts slightly from east to west and back. Right now, he said, the river runs up against the bridge’s western support, which is the one that seems to be the most fragile.

Crews need to get to the base of the support and see if it needs shoring up, he said, but they can’t do that while water is still pouring over it. So Monahan proposed diverting the river slightly eastward under the bridge to allow for the emergency construction project.

He made the proposal after farmers on the west side of the bridge complained that with the bridge closed off, they were forced to go to great lengths to get into town.

“To come back into Ventura, they’ve got to make an illegal U-turn on the freeway or they’ve got to walk,” Monahan said. “Or they’ve got to drive all the way to Seacliff, turn around and come back.”

Councilman Jack Tingstrom said he would support Monahan’s idea.

“It’s just common sense,” he said. “We can’t let that heavy (current and debris) keep hitting the bridge. We’ve got to divert some of the water and take a look at that.”