Renewing pavements on urban highways has become an important issue confronted by many transportation agencies today, as many freeways are now showing signs of wear. Much of California’s Interstate Highway System, including the Long Beach Freeway (I-710) was built in the 1950s and 1960s.

The I-710 has the unique distinction of carrying more truck traffic than any other route in California. That is why Caltrans’ Long Life Pavement Rehabilitation Strategy is vital to address the state’s need for cost effective approaches for rebuilding the aging pavements in its urban highway network. The goal is to rebuild high-volume urban freeways with pavements that are designed to last more than thirty years with minimal maintenance.

Caltrans began a $164.5-million Long Life Pavement Rehabilitation and Median Barrier project in September, 2007 to replace nine miles of the Long Beach Freeway (I-710) in both northbound and southbound directions between the San Diego Freeway (I-405) and Firestone Boulevard. This is the second phase of the I-710 Long Life Pavement Strategy. The first phase included I-710 from Pacific Coast Highway (Route 1) to I-405 and completed in 2003.

The core team who are working closely together on this project are John Vassiliades, Project Manager; James Tucker, Project Engineer; Peter Chiu, assistant Project Manager; Mario Guitierrez, Design Manager; and Nazem Moussa, Construction Resident Engineer. “The Long Life Pavement strategy is very important to the State Highway System,” said Vassiliades. “It will reduce the need for future repair projects and ultimately save public resources for future generations of highway users.”

Beginning this month on Friday, October 24, 2008, a series of up to seven extended weekend closures are scheduled for fall 2008, including two in November and three in December. Full freeway closures on I-710 from the Artesia Freeway (SR-91) to the Glenn Anderson Freeway (I-105) are scheduled on Friday, October 24 from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m; Sunday, October 26 from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m; Friday, October 31 from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and Sunday, November 2 from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Additional full freeway closures will continue intermittently throughout 2009 and 2010. The extended weekend closures will begin with nine hours of a full freeway closure to set up moveable barriers for a freeway counterflow operation. Freeway connectors to northbound and southbound I-710 at State Route 91 and SR-105 will be closed, however, no two connectors will be closed at the same time. All freeway traffic will shift to one side of the freeway during the extended weekend closure with at least two lanes available for northbound I-710 traffic flow and three lanes for southbound traffic flow.

Moussa is working to ensure safe and effective closures during construction. “A comprehensive traffic management strategy will help to reduce the volume of traffic during the weekend closures and minimize traffic delays through the construction work zone,” he said.

The majority of the mainline roadway pavement work is taking place now to 2010. This work requires cracking the existing pavement, then rolling for reuse as a strong foundation base followed with an Asphalt Concrete (AC) overlay. Considering the high volumes of traffic along this segment of I-710, much of the construction will occur overnight during weekdays when traffic is lighter. Construction is scheduled to complete in 2011.

The concrete median barrier installation is near completion. Work continues on widening the roadway, where possible, to provide standard lanes and shoulders. Widening the Compton Creek Bridge and Atlantic Avenue bridge undercrossings is scheduled for completion in Winter, 2008. The work also includes overlaying the existing pavement with 10½ inches of Long Life Asphalt Concrete. Fiber-optic cables, closed-circuit television, three Changeable Message Signs and ramp meters will be also installed for traffic management and monitoring.

For the safety of the motoring public, traffic speeds will be reduced to 45 mph during the extended weekend closures. Oversized loads may not be permitted during the extended weekend closures due to narrower lanes. Motorists will be to use suggested alternate routes around the project and anticipate delays and detours during the extended weekend closure schedule. All closures will be subject to cancellation pending weather conditions, as the paving requires temperatures above 50 degrees and dry weather. During all extended weekend closures, the freeway will re-open at 5 a.m. for Monday morning commute traffic.

The first segment of I-710 opened to traffic in 1952; the last segment opened in 1970. Today, this heavily traveled freeway with 234,000 Average Daily Traffic, has one of the highest concentrations of deteriorated pavement in the state. It is the major route for trucks transporting goods from the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to rail yards and distribution centers in Downtown Los Angeles and the Inland Empire – and ultimely through California and into all parts of the United States. The freeway runs in a north/south with its southern terminus adjacent to the Port of Long Beach on Terminal Island at the intersection of the Terminal Island Freeway (SR-103) and State Route 47, and its northern terminus near Downtown Los Angeles in Alhambra.

The Port of Los Angeles is the nation's leading container port, responsible for more than 900,000 jobs in California and nearly 3 million jobs across the country. And trade valued annually at more than $100 billion moves through the Port of Long Beach, making it the second-busiest seaport in the United States. Freight trucks from both ports account for almost 18 percent of the total traffic on I-710.

The I-710 Long Life Pavement Rehabilitation project has a multitude of benefits to the motoring public, nearby residents and Caltrans highway workers. The project will rehabilitate aging pavement and provide a roadway with several decades of service life, improved pavement performance and provide the motoring public with a smoother ride. The Long Life Pavement strategy will result in less maintenance work in the future, thereby minimizing traffic delays, costs and impacts on surrounding communities and the environment.

Safety enhancements are also an important element of this project. They include: replacing the double metal beam barriers with concrete median barriers, increasing the median’s height in order to reduce headlight glare, drainage improvements, upgrading lighting and sign illumination systems, on-ramp and off-ramp improvements, and maintenance pull-out features.

This I-710 improvement project is proof positive that Caltrans is continuing to provide a safe, durable, economic and long-life highway system for automobiles, trucks and highway-based transit that will have a direct, positive and long-lasting effect for many years to come.

What exactly are culverts and why are they so important to Caltrans? In simple terms, a culvert is a drainage pipe or system with a very important function. Their main purpose is to drain and route water away from the surface of the roadway and into a city-owned or other ancillary drainage system which most often flows into the Los Angeles River or other waterway and ultimately to the Pacific Ocean.

Culverts can be circular, square or in the shape of an arc, or half-circle. Nearly all of District 7’s storm drain system is underground and out of sight, out of mind to most people. If it were not for an efficient, monitored, culvert system, water could collect and pool on the roadway surface causing safety issues for motorists, such as skidding or hydroplaning. “The goal of the Culvert Inspection Program is to reduce the number of catastrophic culvert failures and their associated costs and increase the reliability and safety of the state's highway system,” explained Manuel Morales, P.E., Senior Transportation Engineer, Headquarters Culvert Inspection Program Coordinator.

Coordinating an effective Culvert Inspection Program takes a highly skilled and dedicated team of professionals, each with specialized expertise and training. Bernard Toruno, P.E., Transportation Engineer and District 7’s Culvert Inspection Coordinator, is well aware of the importance of an efficient program. Under the office of Maintenance Engineering Support, he works closely with a multitude of District and Headquarters personnel, including Maintenance Supervisors and culvert inspectors Luis Monterrubio and Tom Muller, who, with other crew members, carefully assess, monitor and inventory the thousands of culverts located in District 7. Their work includes: coordination of an accurate inventory of Caltrans’ culverts; identification, assessment and rating the condition of each culvert; determination of candidates for preventive maintenance; and recommending action for rehabilitation or replacement – all in an effort to avoid culvert failures and maintain a safe and effective culvert drainage system for the motoring public. Their work is accomplished by up-close-and-personal walkthrough inspections. However, if a more comprehensive inspection is required deeper inside the system or further underground, specialist culvert inspectors Tony Garcia and Ed Castro are called in.

Garcia and Castro have the unique responsibility of operating a specialized remote-control camera on wheels, often referred to as “the robot,” to inspect culverts where it is not possible for human beings to safely inspect. The state-of-the-art device is able to safely go where most have never gone before: underground and deep inside an underground culvert drainage system They are responsible for inspecting all of the District 7 storm drain system literally "from the inside out" via the video camera system. With the help of a special winch, it takes a minimum of two people to unload the heavy camera. One person operates the camera remotely while the other guides cable and the camera into and out of the culvert – sometimes hundreds of feet underground. The assessment includes condition of the culvert, as wells as the roadway and embankments alongside.

Using hand-held electronic data collectors and associated equipment, they also process the information received by the remote camera and offer technical support. The equipment stores the data electronically using special software, including the global position satellite, or GPS system. The GPS system helps to identify the location of each culvert including county, route and post mile, the type and size of each culvert, and any other pertinent environmental information.

Problems which could potentially be found include: clogged litter and debris, separation of joints, exposed reinforced steel, mud- and weed-clogged inlets, rusted steel, cracked concrete, or a distorted shape caused by a multitude of reasons. If problems are found, recommended maintenance activities or rehabilitation projects may be performed. There are also natural safety issues that may be discovered, such as poison oak, snakes and other animals and insects that have been discovered inside the drainage system. “Inspection data also helps to allocate additional funding for culvert preventive maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement projects, if needed,” said Dan Freeman, Deputy District Director for Maintenance. “The ultimate goal is to prevent sinkholes and catastrophic failures of the drainage systems.”

"I am proud to work with such to work such a highly dedicated staff," said Roger Castillo, Maintenance Manager, Hazardous Materials/Storm Water/Culvert Inspection Unit, who coordinates these efforts. "You can't tell just by looking because so much of the work they perform is underground, but what they do is vitally important to the integrity of the State Highway System. Not only do they provide an important service for Caltrans, but they also provide education to schools about the important of not littering and the Don't Trash California campaign." It takes a team of experts working together, year’ round, to maintain the safety, reliability and integrity of District 7’s Culvert Inspection Program.

In addition to and complementing District 7’s Caltrans Culvert Inspection Program, the Division of Maintenance performs other vitals functions to keep California’s waterways and oceans clean. As part of a year ‘round preventive maintenance effort, Maintenance Superintendents Glen Mellinger and David Lawrence, as well as Supervisors Doug Johnson and Angel Escobedo, have the distinct responsibility of implementing the District 7 Maintenance Storm Water Program (MSWP). They strive to keep District 7 in compliance with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit to reduce and or eliminate pollutants (litter, hydrocarbons, sediment etc.) to the Maximum Extent Practicable (MEP) from being discharged from Caltrans right of way into receiving waters, thereby keeping rivers and oceans clean.

The MSWP includes: training Maintenance employees about storm water practices, conducting facility inspections, maintenance activity inspections, investigating illicit connections and illegal discharges into the Caltrans drainage systems, monitoring and evaluating Best Management Practices (BMPs) implementation and effectiveness as related to Maintenance activities, as well as administering the storm drain cleaning program.

Mellinger and Lawrence accelerate these efforts just prior to the rainy season each year. “We make it a top priority to clean and clear culverts of litter and debris so that rain water is not backed up onto the roadways, causing a potentially unsafe situation for motorists,” said Mellinger. “Safety is Caltrans’ number one priority.”

Johnson is responsible for keeping the Facility Pollution Prevention Plans up to date for the 50 Maintenance facilities throughout District 7. In addition, he reviews proposed storm water compliance programs for elements related to Maintenance activities. And Escobedo is the District’s Erosion Control Coordinator. His responsibility is to investigate potential problems areas where there could be erosion control issues. In addition, he assists Maintenance crews in coordinating erosion control efforts and provides needed materials and expertise.

The District 7 MSWP requires a commitment from every Maintenance employee in the District,” said Richard Gordon, Brand Chief for the MSWP. “Dave, Glen, Angel and Doug do a great job of communicating the important and benefits of the program to the Division. They also maintain an excellent relationship with the other Divisions. This is important because whatever is planned, designed and construction must ultimately be maintained forever.”

Assisting is Maintenance Supervisor Angel Escobedo, who is the District’s Erosion Control Coordinator. His responsibility is to investigate problem areas where there could be erosion issues. In addition, he assists Maintenance crews in coordinating erosion controls efforts and provides needed materials needed in the field.

Augmenting all of these efforts is a busy storm water crew based out of the Caltrans Maintenance yard in Commerce, supervised by Robin Henry. This staff is responsible for maintaining the many structural BMPs, such as Gross Solids Removal Devices GSRD’s which are designed to trap litter and sediment, media filters (big sand boxes used for filtering), and bio swales (a ditch lined with heavy grass to filter suspended pollutants) throughout the District. These storm water devices are maintained by inspecting for specific thresholds which trigger specific maintenance activities. There are over 200 structural BMP devices in the District. This crew is specially trained to monitor these devices year ‘round. “These devices are specially designed to keep debris out of the storm water drainage system to keep beaches and waterways clean.”

Last year alone, Henry’s crews removed over 100 cubic yards of debris from one facility alone, which has the distinction of being the largest storm water device of its kind in the United States. It is known as the Thompson Creek Continuous Deflective Separate Unit near I-210 in Claremont. This underground structure is approximately 25 feet deep and creates a vortex of water that allows the water to escape through a screen while the contaminants are deflected into a sump and later removed. The litter-filled water comes in – and goes out clean -- leaving the debris behind. Styrofoam cups, plastic bags, cigarettes and a host other types of litter and trash are collected and later dumped into special collection bins. This is only one of hundreds of BMPs located all across District 7. “If it’s raining and nothing happens, that’s because we are doing our jobs so well,” said Henry.

There are also over 30,000 drop inlet drains, actually located on freeways where water flows into the inlet and drops into collection areas – then into a larger drainage system. Caltrans contractors work in partnership to clean those, as well as approximately 7,000 inlets annually during their nighttime drain cleaning operations. Under the supervision of Caltrans Maintenance, the contractors use what is called a Vactor machine, which looks like a vacuum the size of a concrete mixer on wheels. The Vactor sucks up the materials from the inlets and drains in never-ending operations removing tons of debris yearly. “It’s not a glamorous job for Caltrans crews and our contractors, but an essential job – and done properly, protects our beaches and environment – and prevents flooding and erosion,” Henry added.

Overseeing it all is Roger Castillo, Maintenance Manager, Hazardous Materials/Storm Water, Culvert Inspection Unit, who says he is proud of the work accomplished by his staff. “It is through the hard work and dedication to the environment by these Caltrans storm water employees that help to make southern California such a desirable place to live, work and play,” said Castillo. “I am happy to have such a fine group of dedicated employees working under my supervision.”
 

An integral element of the state highway system includes the maintenance of a countless number of elevated bridges and overpasses, some situated over bodies of water. And part of that maintenance may include painting. That’s where Caltrans’ bridge painters come in. Better known as Caltrans Structural Steel Painters, they are a highly-skilled and trained group of professionals who work in a unique and challenging environment, where safety is always their first priority.

While building a work platform September 8 in preparation for painting the bridge deck over the Dominguez Channel in Long Beach, Structural Steel Painter Tracy Armstead was alerted by co-workers of a man who was running down the embankment and jumped into the channel. 

Co-worker George Bedolla, immediately ran to his truck to call 911.  Bedolla, John Reid and Ray Guidry, who all witnessed the incident firsthand, called out to Armstead and then dialed their supervisor, Joe Perez, for more assistance. All felt that the man purposely jumped because he ran with arms extended and headed straight for the channel.  Seeing that the man was drowning, Armstead, 25-feet-high on the deck, jumped from the bridge without regard to his own personal safety, to come to the aid of the struggling man.

The current moved the victim rapidly downstream. “He was drifting so fast,” explained Armstead, who swam as fast as he could to reach him. But he remained just out of Armstead's grasp. Every attempt was made to save him, but due to the strong current and his heavy, wet clothing, Armstead could not make contact. Moving farther from his reach and exhausted, he eventually had to abandon his brave attempt to save the man’s life. On his way out of the water and still exhausted, he cut his hands on the sharp barnacles which were attached to the bridge pillars while waiting to be pulled to safety by his co-workers.

Paramedics arrived shortly thereafter, retrieved the victim and begin CPR. Sadly, he did not survive the ordeal. “I am very proud of the conduct of my fellow workers in the team effort to help this man,” said Armstead. “They all played a part in the attempt to save his life.”

Heroism is no stranger to Armstead. Several years ago, while working in Lompoc, he witnessed another bridge painter dangling by a safety harness 80 feet in the air under the El Jaro Creek Bridge – and once again found himself at the right place at the right time. He ultimately saved the life of that fortunate co-worker. “I was once married to a firefighter,” said Armstead. “Between the two of us and the types of work we do, the instinct to help people just became automatic.”

Supervisor Perez said his entire staff was affected by the incident. “My crew is very conscientious about helping others,” added Perez. “They didn’t take their own safety into consideration to help another. They could have just as easily not taken any action at all. We are all saddened that, try as hard as they tried, hey weren’t able to save the an’s life. This entire incident touched us all in a very emotional way.”

Special Crews Maintenance Superintendent Kevin Sciotto agreed, explaining that Caltrans Maintenance employees are a family of caring people. “We care about each other and also help members of the public all of the time – whether out on the roadways or others we come in contact though our jobs,” said Sciotto. “It is very unfortunate that the victim did not survive. But they tried their best. If we can help someone, we will. We are all very proud of the efforts of Tracey, George, John and Ray.”

For some of the volunteers, working the Caltrans booth at the Los Angeles County Fair is old hat. Every year, however, a crop of newbies springs up with fresh impressions and enthusiasm. This year, Inside 7 asked for Fair feedback from both new and veteran volunteers.

One of the employees who had never worked the Fair booth before is Television Specialist Steve Devorkin. In his position, Devorkin has worked with a lot of employees over the years and anyone who has met him knows he’s a friendly guy, a trait that really worked for him at the Fair.

“I made up a rule that if people made eye contact while walking by, I would greet them with a smile and ask how they were doing at the Fair,” he said. “Eight out of 10 people would respond in kind and half would then come over to the booth.”

Devorkin said one thing in particular attracted visitors the most: “the bowl of little orange traffic cones (antenna balls).” With the cones as a lure, he was then able to engage them in conversation and they stayed to discuss Caltrans and the booth displays, he said. “I received many positive comments, such as ‘You’re doing a great job out there’ and ‘I appreciate you keeping the roads open during the winter.’”

General impression: “I had a great time at the Fair,” Devorkin said. “This was my first time volunteering and I found it to be very enjoyable.”

Leon Romero of Project Management also was a first-time volunteer. He said he found it “refreshing” that most visitors had really positive things to say about Caltrans. “Many people were impressed by the booth and all the information we had about the Department,” he said. “They told me they learned a lot more than they had expected.”

Romero’s volunteer experience made him feel helpful as he was able to answer all the questions he received and even follow up on some ramp issues with Operations, generating an investigation at the site of the complaint. Even better? “The give-aways were awesome,” he said.

For Right of Way Agent Gary George, the Fair was a great way to inform people about the Slow for the Cone Zone campaign. “Some people were not aware of the number of fatalities that have occurred to highway workers,” George said. “After seeing the display at the Fair, many people said that they would definitely slow down.” His final assessment was that the Fair is very positive and informative. “It’s definitely a worthwhile event.”

Another perk is getting to work with people from different divisions that generally are only encountered by phone or email, said Rudy Fernandez with East Region Maintenance, who worked on opening day. An accident in Ventura County involving Caltrans Special Programs workers had just occurred and many of the booth’s visitors inquired about them, Fernandez said. “People expressed sorrow and real concern about the condition and injuries of the workers. Some even asked if a fund had been set up for them.”

Additionally, he said, “We got a lot of appreciative remarks about the work we do.”

Transportation Engineer Rashid Ansarie, with Traffic Investigations, also worked on opening day. And he had company in the booth—District 7 Director Doug Failing and his wife, Yueh-Shen Failing. “I promptly ‘volunteered’ Mr. Failing to answer some of the questions I knew he would be better informed about,” Ansarie said.

Praising the “expertly adorned” walls of the booth, Ansarie said it was important for Fair volunteers to promote the Department. “We do great work, but some of the public see us as eager to close lanes and off-ramps,” he said. “I feel this is undeserved and it is our duty to explain that these are necessary to improve safety and mobility for Californians.”

Ansarie certainly must believe in the effectiveness of the Caltrans presence at the Fair. “It was 100 degrees plus, and humid, and packed with people,” he said. “Plus, it was a 12-hour day for me and yet… I tried to volunteer for another day!”

Transportation Engineer Art Salazar with the Office of Design Unit B offered the following as a summary of his experience: "My most memorable conversation went something like this: ART: Good afternoon sir, welcome to the Caltrans booth.
JOHN DOE (while looking at the our assorted display of "Slow for the Cone Zone" fans, brochures and litter bags): How are you gonna make any money with this stuff?
ART (after a two-second pause to collect his thoughts): Sir, one of the things we are promoting here is highway safety. . .
JD: How is that gonna make you any money?
ART: . . .which we hope will encourage motorists to drive safely around highway construction and maintenance areas, which will reduce the risk of accidents, which will result in saving lives and minimizing property damage losses, important things that are of value to each of us. So while we are not looking to MAKE money, our "Slow for the Cone Zone" safety program will SAVE lives and loss of property, which are worth something!
JD: Oh, thank you."

Salazar worked on September 24 and 25. He said that, although he found the experience enjoyable, "I would not do it again two days in a row!" 

Veteran volunteer and Adopt-a-Highway Coordinator Shawn Silva said he had “a great time at the Fair, as always.” Silva has worked at the booth virtually every year since Caltrans began attending. “I am a firm believer that community outreach and education is one of the most important things we can do as state employees to ensure our safety and raise public awareness,” he said. “The booth helps people see that Caltrans is more than just a faceless public agency.”

Silva said that personal contact and interaction not only gives Caltrans a face, “but also reminds them that every time they see a cone on the roadway there is someone's son, daughter, brother, sister, dad or mom working out there to keep the road safe for them so they can get where they are going.”

His best experience this year was when an older couple walked by, gave the booth a “thumbs up” and said they appreciated all Caltrans does to keep the roads safe. “That's the payoff,” Silva said, “knowing that the public not only sees but really appreciates what we do.”

For those who have never volunteered, there are new opportunities every year. Maybe 2009 will be your story.

If there ever was a hard road, it’s District 7’s portion of Highway 39, 27 miles that runs from the Angeles Forest Information Center at the northern Azusa city limits to the junction of Angeles Crest Highway (SR-2).

Pounded by rain, snow, landslides, fires and everything else Mother Nature can throw at it, the highway has been one of District 7’s biggest challenges for decades, since the massive Snow Springs slide in 1977 destroyed the original alignment and drainage systems, said Maintenance East Region Superintendent Vern Gemeinhardt.

“That slide had just been cleared and the highway reopened when a second slide blocked the entire highway and the three drainage systems with hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of large rock and soil debris,” Gemeinhardt said. “Before that debris could be cleared, additional slides destroyed large sections of the pavement, roadbed, engineered fill slope and drainage systems.”

Subsequently, the highway was closed with locking gates above and below the slide, and remains closed to this day. “Efforts to rebuild the highway were stymied by the scale of the slide damage and the lack of available funding for engineering work,” he said. Meanwhile, additional slides and harsh winters over the years continued to compound the damage, while Maintenance fought an uphill battle (literally) to keep the site stable.

Efforts to reestablish emergency access across the slide face began in 1996. By that time, Gemeinhardt said, the original roadbed and pavement were almost completely gone and the slope had eroded an additional 100-plus feet from the designed highway alignment.

The work consisted of placing and compacting heavy rock and slough debris to create an access lane, which was removed from the roadway and drainage flow lines. Then, a nearly seven-foot earthen berm composed of compacted native material was constructed on the down-slope side of the access road. “A wide cleared area on the right side help capture and contain slide debris,” Gemeinhardt said. “The berm also serves to direct storm run-off to the remaining (functioning) drainage inlets.”

Then came the El Nino winter of 1997-98, which brought onslaughts of rock and debris onto the closed section of the highway, blocking the road and drainage flow lines to the surviving highway drainage systems. Again, work was needed to clear the material from the highway and use it to strengthen the emergency access lane support slope at the Snow Springs site.

“Heavy winter rain, deep snowfall, and extreme temperature variations increase the frequency and volume of this rock and debris fall,” Gemeinhardt said. “Maintenance crews clear this material from the pavement and shoulders on a year-round basis to maintain drainage flow-line efficiency, to allow continued emergency access through the closed section, and to protect traffic from the debris.” This material is always placed in permanent storage locations approved by the U.S. Forest Service, working together with Caltrans office of Environmental Planning, State and Federal regulatory agencies, he added.

During the dry season, from May into early November, other on-going Maintenance efforts include: removing slough from the roadway shoulders, draining inlets and flow-lines in preparation for storm run-off and to provide maximum temporary storage capacity for winter slough volumes and repairing/reinforcing roadside berms.

This might seem like a lot of work just to maintain an impassible highway, but it’s an obligation Caltrans must fulfill, said Damage Restoration Coordinator Bill Varley. “The District has a long-term commitment this highway.”

At one point, he added, Caltrans looked at abandoning the highway to the U.S. Forrest Service, but the agency would only accept it if we returned it to wilderness conditions, which would have been even more costly than re-opening it.

Following severe fires in 2002 and the storms of 2004/2005, Highway 39 was declared a state and federal disaster area, Varley said, and the road was closed at the bottom of the hill. Repair work was performed from the bottom progressing up the hill and several sections were completed under that emergency contract. However, seven sites remained that required engineered fill or retaining walls.

Two projects that will address those issues and get the highway reopened are scheduled for construction soon. The first, building two retaining walls near the city of Azusa from Old San Gabriel Canyon Road to approximately four miles south of SR-2, could begin in mid-2009. The second, a $45 million project to reconstruct the roadway, construct soldier pile retaining walls, repair drainage systems, install rock fall protection, and provide asphalt concrete overlay and traffic striping, should begin in fall 2010.

This begs the inevitable question: what happens when the next big storm/fire/slide hits? Varley said the project includes measures to control rock fall and run-off. And Caltrans will continue to maintain the road. As far as future damage is concerned, he said, “That’s the challenge of Route 39.”
 

Well, two bridge projects in Ventura County, to be more specific. The first project, which began in February, widens the bridges at Sisar Creek and Santa Paula Creek on the west side of Highway 150 in Santa Paula.  The other, started in August, replaces the aging bridge on Highway 150 at San Antonio Creek in Ojai. Both projects will increase safety and complete in 2010. The accompanying photos depict construction on the Santa Paula project.