Residents along Russian River deal with long detours after road washed out
People who live and work in Guerneville and Forestville said they are enduring long detours after portions of a major road was washed into the Russian River from last week's storm. A looming bridge retrofit could make trips even longer.
Nhi Haas works in the tasting room and is the wine club manager at Moshin Vineyards.
The landslide in Forestville, which triggered a house to tumble into the Russian River on Feb. 4, led to longer commutes.
"By the time I got home, it had been about 55 minutes and my commute is normally only 13 minutes," said Haas.
The recent storms are impacting residents and businesses in the North Bay with road closures still in effect.
One of three access points to the vineyard, West Side Road, is closed indefinitely as portions of it crumbled into the river.
Residents aren't the only ones who have been impacted.
"I still haven't seen UPS. Normally they get here around one or two, but I can imagine the road closures affecting them as well," said Haas.
Wineries are already facing challenging times with sharp decreases in demand.
Rick Moshin, a former teacher, is the owner and winemaker at Moshin Vineyards, in the heart of prime Pinot country.
"West Side Road is the middle reach, so that's where you have most of the well-known Pinot producers, all within five miles of this location," said Moshin.
The second access point to the vineyard and other homes is the historic Wohler Bridge, but it's set to undergo a major seismic retrofit in April.
Closures due to the storm, paired with the bridge construction project about to get underway, could mean lengthy detours for many residents in Sonoma County.
"If trucks, our barrel trucks, our glass trucks can't get through Wohler Bridge, they're going to have to go all the way up on the freeway to Healdsburg and turn around and come 10 miles down two-way windy roads, which is dangerous for them, dangerous for us, and a lot of bicyclists are on the road," said Janet Moshin.
The pending bridge closure would mean a major detour and a one-hour commute for Guerneville residents, who would have to travel all the way north to Healdsburg and back.
Rick Moshin is hoping the county can delay the bridge project.
"That way would be easier access for employees and for customers that wanna get here," he said.
But delaying the retrofit would jeopardize $17 million in funding and poses a safety hazard, according to Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins.
The supervisor is fighting to approve a temporary Bailey Bridge that would reduce commute times for businesses and residents.
"It's really unfortunate to have these two infrastructure challenges right next to each other," said Hopkins.
Hopkins said the temporary bridge will cost $300,000.
Any fix besides shutting down two arteries would be welcomed by residents, surrounding vineyards, and employees.
"Two hours within the day, I can't imagine what it would be like if you don't live around here and don't know the side streets," said Haas.
Haas said she's hoping for a timely solution to address already longer commutes because of storm related closures, and what now looks like even longer ones ahead.
