News and Press Releases

Storm Damage Repair on Midas Ave

May 8, 2023

Midas Avenue between Fifth Street and Argonaut Avenue is NOW OPEN to THROUGH TRAFFIC.

City crews have completed paving work at the site, which will now allow vehicle and pedestrian access. Construction will continue on Midas Avenue through project completion.

May 4, 2023

Construction at Midas Avenue between Fifth Street and Argonaut Avenue continues to progress. Last week the bottom of the repair was completed and began safely carrying water flows. Crews also completed laying backfill gravel, which is required to reinforce the base of the structure before paving work can begin. City Crews will begin pouring the sidewalk, curb, and gutters later this week as long as the weather is construction safe. Since backfill work has been completed, paving is scheduled to begin early next week, which will allow for vehicle and pedestrian access. Final project completion is intended for mid-May.

April 27, 2023 Update

Crews remain active on-site on Midas Avenue between Fifth Street and Argonaut Avenue and have completed construction of the new culvert structure, which is approximately 10 feet high. The bottom of the repair is now complete and safely carrying flows as intended. Backfill work, as you see in image 2, is currently process. Backfill gravel is required to reinforce the base of the structure before paving work can begin. Project completion is intended for mid-May.

April 19, 2023 Update

The Midas Avenue emergency repair project has impacted the community since January 16, when an immediate street closure was required on Midas Avenue between Fifth Street and Argonaut Avenue due to a potential street and sidewalk failure. Excessive rains in late 2022 and early 2023 caused stress to the underground culvert, which diverts storm water from infiltrating the surrounding soil. This failure created unsafe conditions for vehicles and pedestrians.

Since January 16, City staff have provided frequent updates on the status of the emergency repairs. At this time, we wanted to share some visual updates of the ongoing work at the project site.

January 16

City staff were notified of a potential street and sidewalk failure and immediately began work to secure the site.

January 17-March 23

City staff immediately began work with outside utility partners to ensure underground water, gas, and phone/cable utilities in the area were not impacted. Staff also installed a diversion pipe to ensure the waterway did not erode further

Governor Newsom declared these early storm events as a state of emergency to support ongoing response to these events. Placer County followed suit with a local proclamation requesting state and federal assistance. City staff began working with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), who conducted a disaster site visit at the end of January. Staff have continued to coordinate efforts with FEMA for potential reimbursement opportunities. While storm events continued throughout January, February, and March, City staff have coordinated emergency permits with the Army Corps of Engineers, State Water Board, and the California Department of Fish & Wildlife. Staff also completed the engineering design work for the repair and ordered the replacement culvert, which had a lead time of 4-6 weeks.

While awaiting construction weather conditions and replacement parts, crews continued site excavation and permit coordination.

March 24

On March 24, the replacement culvert structure was received by City staff. However, unprecedented weather conditions have prolonged the initial anticipated start of construction. Preliminary work continued on-site to prepare the area for major construction. Crews continued to remove existing rip rap and soil to ensure the area would remain stable through continued weather conditions.

April 3

Weather permitted construction began on-site. City crews completed the deconstruction of the existing structure and installed backfill. During this phase of construction, City staff continued to work with impacted utilities in order to manage unsuitable soil and utility conditions.

Current Status

This week crews have been active on-site pouring footings on the southside of the emergency closure. Construction will continue throughout the week to remove the diversion pipe, which has been in place to prevent further deterioration of the site.

Due to the unprecedented weather conditions, it is expected that this project will take approximately 45 days for completion since the start of construction in early April. Crews have been working 7 days a week and will continue to do so until emergency repairs are complete. City staff will continue to provide updates on the project website as they are available.

April 13, 2023 Update

Heavy rain fall January through March severely impacted the initial repair timelines. The initial assessment of required repairs used to establish a project timeline were unable to foresee unsuitable soil conditions and impacted utilities, which require further investigation. Crews continue to work seven days a week in order to make up for lost time due to weather and site assessments, and an updated estimated completion date will be shared with the community next week.

April 6, 2023 Update

Staff are on track to complete this emergency project by the end of April/mid-May. Crews are working seven days a week and have extended working hours in an effort to keep this project on pace. Over 50% of the demolition on the existing structure has been completed and staff are working with impacted utility companies to demo the last portion of the failed structure. Following the complete removal of the failed structure, crews will begin digging footings, while also balancing any inconvenience to our residents.

We understand that this closure has been an inconvenience for many in our community.
Public Services staff will do everything in their power to complete the repairs as soon as possible. 

March 30, 2023 Update

Preliminary work continues to prepare the area for major construction on Midas Avenue and Fifth Street/Argonaut Avenue. Staff continue to monitor creek flows following heavy rains. Anticipated full demolition and excavation at the project site is expected to start in coming weeks. Any construction and demolition is weather dependent.

March 23, 2023 Update

As many know, on January 16, an immediate closure was required due to a potential street and sidewalk failure. Excessive rains at the beginning of the new year caused stress to the underground culvert that diverts storm water. Preliminary work continues to prepare the area for major construction on Midas Avenue and Fifth Street/Argonaut Avenue. The replacement structure for the project was received this week. City staff are working on removing existing rip rap and as much soil as possible, without jeopardizing the area, until we are through the heavy rains. Staff continue to monitor creek flows, which have been steady. Anticipated full demolition and excavation at the project site is expected to start after Tuesday. Any construction and demolition is weather dependent.

Crews are diligently working to keep the updated construction to Midas Avenue on track following heavy winter storms.

March 16, 2023 Update

Repairs between Midas avenue and Fifth Street and Argonaut Avenue are still on track for a late April completion. Despite continued harsh weather conditions, the projected timeline for the Midas Ave. closure has not been impacted. On January 16, an immediate closure was required due to a potential street and sidewalk failure. Excessive rains at the beginning of the new year caused stress to the underground culvert that diverts storm water. Currently, the replacement arch culvert is scheduled to be shipped mid-March. Preliminary work continues to prepare the area for the major construction work that will take place once the culvert is delivered.

Staff will continue to keep residents informed on the Midas Ave. closure and anticipated completed construction.  

March 9, 2023 Update

As many residents are aware, Midas Avenue between Fifth Street and Argonaut Avenue has been closed since January 16, when heavy storms created a street and sidewalk failure, which required an emergency repair.

With forecasted storms on the horizon, City staff have been working hard to mitigate additional stress on our streams and creeks, including a drainage diversion for Midas Avenue creek crossing. A drainage pipe was installed to carry water flows, in the event of further collapse of the existing structure. Sandbags have been placed to divert water flows around the failed area and into the creek or diversion pipe. While crews have been working at the site removing trees, stumps have been left in place to stabilize the banks until after the storms.

Despite extreme winter storms, the Midas Avenue emergency repair project is still estimated to be completed in late April.

March 2, 2023 Update

January 17, 2023 Update

As many in the community are aware, Midas Avenue between Fifth Street and Argonaut Avenue has been closed since January 16th. The immediate closure was needed due to a potential street and sidewalk failure that required an emergency repair. The excessive rains from the first two weeks in January caused stress to the underground culvert that diverts storm water. This caused water to infiltrate the surrounding soil and created unsafe conditions for vehicles and pedestrians. Underground water, gas, and fiber-optic utilities in this area were exposed, and City crews are working with utility partners to ensure that utilities are not impacted. 

To repair the damage to the culvert and road, crews will need to divert the existing water flow, purchase, construct, and install the new 12-foot by 10-foot culvert, and reconstruct the road. The repair is estimated to take 10 to 12 weeks. While these repairs take place, this area of Midas Avenue will remain closed to vehicle and foot traffic. Residents may not see active work in the area, but crews are working behind the scenes to ensure the repair is complete as soon as possible.   

This site remains an active and hazardous construction zone, so residents are encouraged to find alternate pedestrian paths away from the area. Traffic is being detoured to Sunset Boulevard from Whitney Boulevard to the north and Third Street to the south. Residents can find more information about the repair process on the City’s website here: https://www.rocklin.ca.us/post/midas-ave-road-closure You can also view the road closure map by clicking on the photo below.

The Midas Avenue repair was discussed at the January 24, 2023 City Council meeting. The read the staff report for the presentation, click here (pdf) To view the PowerPoint from the presentation, click here(pdf).