(Jan. 12, 2026) Placer County leaders were joined by members of the community group Protect American River Canyons in Auburn on Monday, Jan. 12 to celebrate the completion of the American River Debris Removal Project.
As part of the event, the project contractor removed a long-standing warning sign from the state Route 49 bridge that had cautioned visitors for decades about hazardous concrete and metal debris below the river’s surface.
(Dec. 4, 2025) The American River Bridge Debris Removal project in Auburn is nearly complete. All steel has been removed and a final sweep is underway. Our contractor will soon begin a full site restoration, including removal of the rip rap (rocks and dirt) that have been brought in to create access into the canyon and create a landing pad for equipment.
(Photo taken Dec. 3, 2025)
Work on the American River Bridge Debris Removal Project is underway.
The first phase of the project will include buildout of a temporary ramp and "beach area" to provide access and storage of heavy equipment throughout the duration of the project.
Drivers are urged to be alert for workers in the area and for trucks entering and exiting SR-49.
The speed limit will be reduced to 25 mph through the work zone.
The Calcutta Falls Trailhead to no hands bridge is closed through the duration of the project.
The river, beaches and shoreline will be closed beginning Sept. 2.
The old SR-49 bridge collapsed in December 1964 following the failure of the Hell Hole Dam during a significant weather event, leaving 750 tons of bridge debris in the riverbed.
Shortly after the bridge failure. Congress approved the Auburn Dam project, and the decision was made to leave the debris in place, assuming it would be submerged by the resulting reservoir. However, the Auburn Dam was never constructed, and the bridge remnants have remained in the riverbed ever since.
A few years ago, the community group, Protect American River Canyons, asked county leaders for assistance to remove the debris. The county’s legislative advocacy group worked with former state Sen. Brian Dahle to secure $8 million of Priority Legislative Budget Project Funds in February 2023.
Caltrans and county officials then agreed to transfer that funding to the Placer County Department of Public Works, which then took the lead on project management as an initiative to improve the American River stream channel and river safety for the community.
