Check out bridge work that has closed Hwy. 41 south of Fresno. Here’s latest on reopening

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A construction project that has closed Highway 41 to commuters for months was about halfway done Tuesday on a bridge that will carry drivers over the Kings River as they travel between the central San Joaquin Valley and the Central Coast.

Caltrans has been working to replace the Kings River Bridge in the Stratford area south of Lemoore on the way to Kettleman City since February, and work was estimated to be complete by August for the $21 million project.

Commuters leaving the Fresno area who would typically travel on Highway 41 towards Pismo Beach have been made to detour west on Highway 198 and take Interstate 5 south until it reconnects with Highway 41 south of Kettleman.

The same has been true for anyone headed to Morro Bay or San Luis Obispo, as well as return trips to the San Joaquin Valley.

All six of the pier caps, which act as support to help distribute the weight on a bridge, were visible recently.

The bridge’s girders are 54 feet long and each weighs about 190,000 pounds, which is about the same as 32 SUVs, according to the state transportation regulators.

The bridge built in 1942 was widened in 1987, and the latest work is meant to reinforce the bridge and address seismic deficiencies, Caltrans said.

The bridge would only continue to deteriorate without the project, according to Caltrans.

Other construction on Highway 41

At the same time as crews work on the bridge, others were restoring and resurfacing about eight miles of 41 between Quail and Nevada avenues, according to Caltrans.

That work is expected to be done to allow commuters on the roadway in August when the bridge is also supposed to be done, a Caltrans spokesperson said.