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Italian Bar Road (Fresno County)

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Italian Bar Road is an approximately six-mile switchback highway located in the San Joaquin River Canyon of Fresno County.  Italian Bar Road begins at the southern rim of the San Joaquin River Canyon at Jose Basin Road and terminates to the northwest at the Italian Bar Bridge over Redinger Lake. 

Italian Bar Road is named after a former mining claim which was staked on the San Joaquin River where Redinger Lake is now located.  The Fresno County side of Italian Bar Road was largely constructed concurrent with Million Dollar Road to access the site of Big Creek Powerhouse #8 in 1921.  The Fresno County roadway was connected with the Italian Bar mining road in Madera County circa 1925 when the Italian Bar Bridge was constructed over the San Joaquin River.  Before Madera County dropped roadway names after World War II the corridor of Italian Bar Road extended to Minarets Road near North Fork.

In 1951 the Italian Bar Bridge would be raised to accommodate the Redinger Lake reservoir.  The original Italian Bar Bridge was replaced by a modernized span which opened to traffic during May 2021. 




Part 1; the history of Italian Bar Road

Italian Bar Road is named after a mining claim which once existed at the San Joaquin River where Redinger Lake now is located.  The mining claim never developed into a town site but was significant enough that an early foot bridge was constructed over the San Joaquin River.  The foot bridge can be seen below in a series of 1890 photos from the Fleming family collection (courtesy Eastern Fresno County Historical Society). 



The confluence of the San Joaquin River and Stevenson Creek can be seen the 1891 Thompson Atlas of Fresno County in Range 23 East, Township 9 South.  Mill Creek can be seen emptying into the San Joaquin River in Subdivision 18.  Italian Bar was located a short distance west of the confluence of the San Joaquin River and Mill Creek. 


In 1921 Big Creek Powerhouse #8 was constructed at the confluence of the San Joaquin River and Big Creek.  This was followed by construction of Powerhouse #3 at the confluence of the San Joaquin River and Jose Creek in 1923.  Much of what is now Italian Bar Road in Fresno County and Million Dollar Road were constructed north from the San Joaquin & Eastern Railroad siding of Lorena to the powerhouse sites.  

Following the completion of Big Creek Powerhouses #8 and #3 the trail on the Madera County side of the San Joaquin River would be improved east from the Minarets Road near North Fork as an automotive highway.  This roadway would be connected to Fresno County in 1925 when the Italian Bar Bridge was constructed at the San Joaquin River.

The 1925-era Italian Bar Bridge was a Warren Pony Truss span which was 242.1 feet in length.  The span can be seen below as it was from the Fresno County side of Redinger Lake during September 2019. 





The 1947 United States Geological Survey map displays the full scale of Italian Bar Road.  In the era the Italian Bar Road designation existed within both counties.  Italian Bar Road began at Jose Basin Road (formerly the grade of the San Joaquin & Eastern Railroad) in Fresno County and spanned northwest to Minarets Road in Madera County. 


After World War II Madera County would drop names from their county highways and assign them numbers.  Italian Bar Road within Madera County would subsequently be reassigned as Road 225.  The Italian Bar Bridge would be modified and raised in advance of completion of Redinger Dam.  Said dam was completed by Southern California Edison in 1951 and impounds Redinger Lake.  

On October 12, 2015, Sierra News Online reported on a public comment period for replacement of the 1925-era Italian Bar Bridge.  The span was found by Caltrans to be both structurally deficient and inadequate to meet the needs of modern automotive traffic.  The replacement span was proposed to be two-lanes wide.  

On September 6, 2019, Sierra National Forest announced the following regarding the replacement of the Italian Bar Bridge on their Facebook page:

"Fresno & Madera Counties to begin the Italian Bar Bridge replacement project, on Italian Bar Road September 17, 2019

Clovis, Calif., September 06, 2019 – The Sierra National Forest would like to inform the forest communities and visitors to the forest, American Paving Co. (Contracted by Fresno & Madera Counties) will begin the Italian Bar Bridge replacement project in the very near future. Road closures will start on 9/17/19, with rock blasting starting around 9/30/19.

Signs will be posted along various roads, the San Joaquin River Trail where it intersects with Italian Bar Road, and at the Redinger Boat Launch.

The signs will inform visitors and residents of construction and road closures. The signs will state the following: “This Road (or Trail, or Boat Launch) will be Closed Intermittently Start Sept 2019 thru Feb 2021 Mon.-Sat. 7 am–5:30 pm.”

The modern Italian Bar Bridge opened to traffic on May 19, 2021.  The dedication ceremony for the current span can be seen below.  




Part 2; a drive on Italian Bar Road

Northbound Italian Bar Road begins at Jose Basin Road along the southern rim of the San Joaquin River Canyon.  This junction lies at an elevation of approximately 3,000 feet above sea level.


Italian Bar Road begins to descend towards a switchback facing Jose Creek.  Big Creek Powerhouse #3 can be seen from the roadway by looking to the left. 









Italian Bar Road descends through a series of switchbacks and descends to a junction with Million Dollar Road.  Million Dollar Road is owned by Southern California Edison and accesses Big Creek Powerhouse #8.  Million Dollar Road is accessible to hikers and cyclists wishing to visit Stevenson Creek Falls.  



























Italian Bar Road passes through the grounds of Big Creek Powerhouse #3. 







Italian Bar Road descends to Redinger Lake (at approximately 1,420 feet above sea level) and crosses the modern Italian Bar Bridge to Madera County Road 225. 














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