Community News by Tom Harris, Associate Editor
On Friday, June 20th, 2025, El Dorado County Transportation Senior Civil Engineer Brian Franklin led a group of 20 Mosquito residents on a tour of the Mosquito Bridge, currently under construction. This tour was a silent auction item at the May 10th MFPD District Auxiliary (D’Ax) fundraising event: “The Mosquito Fire Raise the Roof Fundraiser”. There were ten individual auction items, each consisting of two tickets for the tour.
Proceeds from the May 10th event will help pay for a new roof for the Mosquito fire station. D’Ax is the first volunteer fundraising organization of our Fire District. Their goal is to fully fund the roof replacement project. Donations continue to come in, tax deductible donations can be made at: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/5109067, free of any PayPal fees.
The Sentinel was in attendance with the bridge tour group. We all met at Dyer Lake to sign the required waivers, get our safety gear (vests and hard hats) and pair up to carpool to the north gate to meet with Brian from DOT. Brian escorted us to the approach abutment at the north end of the bridge. He showed us the slight curve built into the north approach, and discussed how each part of the bridge is described.
The piers are the base for the roadbed and are numbered 1 thru 4. #1 pier is located on the Placerville side of the bridge and correlates to the anchor abutment on that side. Piers #2 and #3 correlate to the tops of the towers. We then drove across the swing bridge to the Pier #1 side to check out the operation from the south side. Many questions were raised by the group and answered by Brian and fellow Senior Engineer Aradhana Kochar. For example,
Q – “What is being done to address the condition of the rest of Mosquito Road on either side of the bridge?” A – El Dorado County is continuing to seek grants and funding for these improvements.
Q – “How is the roadbed laid to and from each pier?” A – In segments, by an ingenious trolley system called “Travelers”, which are used to both form the concrete segments, and lay them in place – alternately from one side of the tower to the other, to stay balanced on the tower!
Q – “What is the total cost of the bridge?” A – The cost will be approximately equivalent to $100,000 for each home in our district and fully funded by a federal grant.
Q – “What are the dimensions of the bridge?” A – length -1,180 feet; pier heights, approx 200 feet; distance above river approx. 400 feet.
The Sentinel reminds our neighbors about the great work that Brian and the El Dorado Department of Transportation is doing to keep the project on track as well as serve the needs of our small community. General comments can be made at: EDCBridges@edcgov.us
The tour concluded with a brief visit to the Batch Plant at Finnon. After that, the group met for lunch at the diner to discuss the day’s event.
At its next pancake breakfast, July 26, 2025, D’Ax will have another silent auction offering two items that will go directly to the Roof Fund. Then in December, D’Ax will possibly do another fundraising event, and utilize a silent auction again to raise additional funds.
District Auxiliary board meetings are held on the fourth Thursday of each month just prior to the MFPD board meetings at the Mosquito fire station and are open to members of the district. The D’Ax Board of Directors has five members. They are: Meredith Blain, President; Karen Jensen, Vice President; Melissa Stever, Treasurer;
Devon Beesley, Secretary; Elisabeth Bingham, Director.
D’Ax was incorporated as a California non-profit on September 26, 2022. It has been dedicated to supporting the Mosquito Fire Protection District and the safety and betterment of our community since that time. The Sentinel and the MFPD District Auxiliary thanks Brian Franklin and Aradhana Kochar of the El Dorado County Transportation Division, and all the volunteer members of our Mosquito community who give their time and often their own money in support of our Fire Department and our local volunteer organizations.
D’Ax Tour Group on the North approach looking toward Pier #3
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