Valley Center Road

Technical Description:

• Span: 16 ft
• Rise: 10 ft
• Length: 103 ft, 139 ft, 135 ft

Due to increased traffic congestion, the San Diego County Department of Public Works decided to widen Valley Center Road, a two-lane highway winding up the side of a mountain. This project was faced with many challenges including a large wildlife habitat area and roadway access requirements.

Consulting engineer EarthTech chose a CON/SPAN^® structure for a wildlife crossing underneath the road. Use of part-width construction allowed the flow of traffic to continue while the roadway was widened from two to four lanes. The structure was required to accommodate a 15’ x 15’ opening to allow adequate daylight for animal passage.

The internal segments of the CON/SPAN were skewed at stage breaks as well as the end units, and the structure was installed on 5’ high cast-in-place pedestal walls.

Traffic congestion has decreased since the widening of the road and the structures now allow safe passage for the Southern Mule Deer and mountain lions that are often killed crossing this road. The structure pictured is one of three wildlife crossings installed under this roadway.

Technical Description:

• Span: 16 ft
• Rise: 10 ft
• Length: 103 ft, 139 ft, 135 ft