Traffic control lifted from 9:00 PM, Tuesday, November 25 – 5:00 AM, Monday, December 1
Sonoma County – Caltrans will return State Route 121 at the Yellow Creek Bridge in Schellville to two-way traffic for the long Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend. Traffic control will be lifted from 9:00 PM, Tuesday, November 25, until 5:00 AM, Monday, December 1, 2025, when Caltrans will once again implement one-way traffic control until project completion, scheduled for the end of February 2026.
The highway has been under one-way traffic control since Monday, November 3, 2025, allowing Caltrans to replace the one worn and outdated bridge railing, which had served as a guardrail on the 103-year-old bridge.
Caltrans will replace the second bridge railing after work crews return from Thanksgiving weekend.
The old bridge railings were embedded in the concrete beneath the highway, requiring workers to excavate an entire lane to remove and replace them. Caltrans has replaced one bridge railing and repaved dug-up lane. Since excavation hasn't started to remove the second bridge railing, Caltrans has two fully functional lanes to open to traffic until work resumes on Monday.
The Yellow Creek Bridge was built in 1922. The bridge railings are part of the original structure, serving as guardrails to keep vehicles from veering off the bridge. The weather-worn railings must be replaced to meet current safety standards.
A traffic study and multiple meetings with local first responders were conducted to evaluate construction options. The study compared full closure with a long detour via Routes 101 and 37 to the proposed one-way traffic control. Based on traffic impacts and emergency access considerations, the one-way traffic control was determined to be the safest and least disruptive option.
This work represents the second phase of a two-bridge safety improvement project. Caltrans recently finished replacing the railings on the Arroyo Seco Bridge on SR-121 near 8th Street, reopening the bridge last night, October 27, around 10:00 PM.
Caltrans thanks motorists and the local community for their patience as we continue to improve bridge safety and infrastructure in Sonoma County.
Please visit Caltrans QuickMap: http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov or follow Caltrans on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/CaltransD4
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