SACRAMENTO, California -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District announced a temporary lane closure on Highway 155 at Isabella Lake’s main dam in Kern County beginning Tuesday, May 5, 2020.
Traffic will be reduced to the northbound detour lane for approximately one-tenth of a mile at the main dam and will allow USACE contractors to continue construction on the downstream side of the new main dam right abutment wall. The wall is designed to provide support for the main dam once it receives a 16-foot elevation raise as part of the Isabella Dam Safety Modification Project.
Temporary traffic signals will be placed at each end of the lane closure to control traffic in both directions, and only momentary traffic delays are expected.
This traffic pattern will remain in place for approximately two months, at which time the one-lane traffic will shift to the southbound lane. The public should expect one-lane traffic to last until fall 2020.
Completed in 1953, Isabella Lake Dam is located approximately 40 miles northeast of Bakersfield. The reservoir is impounded by two earthen dams on the Kern River and Hot Springs Valley. Today, Isabella Lake and its dams reduce flood risk for Bakersfield and the surrounding region, and is a primary water source for water users throughout Kern County. The Isabella Lake Dam Safety Modification Project will address overtopping, seismic and seepage issues identified with Isabella Lake’s Main and Auxiliary dams to reduce the likelihood of dam failure. Construction of the dam modifications is scheduled for completion in 2022.
Release no. 20-015