Project underway to lift stretch of Avenue 56 near Alpaugh after recent floods

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A million-dollar project is underway to help create a safe route in and out of the the community of Alpaugh as residents navigate flooded roads to get to their homes.

As of Thursday, several streets throughout the community are still shut down.

Community leaders say they will remain closed for weeks, especially with incoming snow melt.

Several agencies in Tulare County have been working together for the last week to elevate a section of Avenue 56 heading towards Alpaugh.

"It is going to run from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks - west from there over to a different railroad spur on the west side," explained Ross Miller with the Tulare County Resource Management Agency.

The purpose is to create a reliable pathway for the Alpaugh community, which is currently surrounded by floodwater from recent storms.

"It's going to cost the county well over a million dollars, but it's absolutely critical to make sure these residents can access their homes and goods and services and workplaces as well in a safe manner," said Tulare County Supervisor Pete Vander Poel.

Vander Poel says with so much uncertainty ahead of the snowmelt from the High Sierra; residents will depend on this one roadway for weeks to come.

"This is not going to be over anytime soon. It's going to be a long process. The Tulare Lake bed is going to be filled, and this snowpack is going to melt," he said.

The elevated roadway will have two lanes and is temporary.

It is expected to be completed by next week.

Officials are asking anyone who drives on it to do so carefully.

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