A new bridge installed by Amador Water Agency will support the line as it crosses Sutter Creek, near the town’s main street, Old State Route 49. At a cost of approximately $250,000, the new span is expected to open to foot traffic as early as August, after pipeline construction is complete.

“Instead of putting it on the 49 bridge, this provides a pedestrian crossing from a city parking lot near City Hall to a parking lot near Susan’s Place,” said Jim Abercrombie, general manager of Amador Water Agency.

Assistant city manager Sean Rabe said town officials are pleased with the new structure. He said a city-installed bench will cover a pipeline segment as it lies on the bridge’s surface.

“I think it looks great,” Rabe said. “When we replace the Main Street bridge, the idea’s been advanced to have it look like this new bridge.”

The new bridge is constructed of steel finished in a shade that gives the impression of either wood or weathered steel.

The pipeline project is “ahead of schedule and under budget,” Abercrombie said.

He said that reflects close scrutiny by agency construction- management and inspection personnel. The agency already has one similar project under its belt – the Amador Transmission Pipeline.

Total Plymouth pipeline cost is expected to be around $12 million.

Plymouth’s cost share is being financed by a rate hike for water service within the city. A 45-percent rate hike came last September. It had been hoped that a continued housing boom would have allowed real-estate developers to share Plymouth’s cost share. Households are paying around $85 a month for water, according to Dixon Flynn, city manager.

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