$1.6 Million Seismic Retrofit of San Rafael Bridge Gets Council Greenlight

The Pasadena City Council on Monday approved a contract with Dokken Engineering, Inc., worth up to $1.64 million for preliminary engineering and design work on the seismic retrofit of the historic San Rafael Bridge.

The 1922 concrete arch bridge spans the Arroyo Seco along San Rafael Avenue and has been identified as seismically vulnerable by Caltrans. While the structure underwent repairs in 1992, no seismic improvements were made at that time.

Under the contract, Dokken Engineering will complete Phase 1A of the project, which includes environmental documentation and preliminary engineering, for a not-to-exceed amount of $781,185.

If the city secures further authorization from Caltrans, the firm will proceed to Phase 1B, preparing full plans, specifications, and cost estimates, for an additional $855,873.

Combined, the contracts total $1,637,058, not including administrative costs. The City Council also amended its Fiscal Year 2026 Capital Improvement Program to allocate $285,066 in Highway Bridge Program (HBP) funds and transfer $46,000 from a related bridge project to help cover the required local match.

The project was made possible after Caltrans approved Pasadena’s application for HBP funds in 2023, with an estimated total project cost of $10.5 million. The retrofit will be funded largely by federal dollars, with an 11.47% local match from the city.

Dokken Engineering, based in Folsom, was the sole respondent to a February Request for Proposals. The firm, which also worked on Pasadena’s La Loma Bridge retrofit, has over three decades of experience with federally funded bridge projects.

Phase 1A is expected to take about two years to complete, with Phase 1B requiring an additional 20 months. Construction funding and timelines will be determined once the engineering phases are complete and approved by Caltrans.