Two towering cranes near the Mojave River have drawn the attention of many commuters passing over Rock Spring Road between Apple Valley and Hesperia.
The heavy equipment on the Apple Valley side of the river is part of the nearly $19.2 million “Rock Spring Road Bridge Over Mojave River Project,” which includes replacing the existing two-lane low water crossing with a four-lane bridge structure over the river.
The new bridge aims to solve flooding concerns for commuters between Apple Valley and Hesperia, who are forced to take a nearly 12-mile detour when the crossing closes during major storms, the Daily Press reported.
Rock Springs Road is often flooded during heavier storms, and when water is released from Cedar Springs Dam, which holds back water from Silverwood Lake.
An existing metal and wood railroad bridge is located north of Rock Springs Road.
Joint project
San Bernardino County, Caltrans and the city of Hesperia are working on the project from .1 miles west of Glendale Avenue to .3 miles east of Deep Creek Road, according to the state.
The new bridge will feature four-foot shoulders, a concrete-barricaded sidewalk with street lighting on the south side, and drainage improvements, county officials stated.
The bridge will be nearly 950 feet long, about 47 feet wide and will include two 12-foot lanes, two 4-foot shoulders, one 4-foot median, and a 6-foot sidewalk on the southern portion.
The structure’s height will range from 12 feet to 20 feet when measured from the river bottom.
Existing utilities, including electricity, phone, gas and irrigation, will be relocated or protected in place.
The project will also elevate the roadway east of the river and remove existing driveway access from Rock Springs Road for two residences and replace them with driveway access from Santa Rosa Road.
Retaining walls will be added along the south side of the elevated Rock Springs Road. The southern retaining wall will be constructed from the east abutment and will extend to the east along Rock Springs Road.
Construction of the bridge project is anticipated to take nearly 16 months over two construction seasons.
Temporary staging areas and stockpiling of equipment and materials will be on the eastern side of the project area.
Residents are encouraged to allow additional time in their commute schedule for possible delays and to please drive with caution and reduce speeds through work zones.
Flooded roadway, funding options
Over the decades, Rock Springs Road, over the river, has been flooded, temporarily shuttered and suffered damage numerous times.
In 2008, several funding options were explored by county officials to build a Rock Springs Road Bridge, bypassing the Mojave River, the Daily Press reported.
The discussion came after the roadway washed out in January 2005, prompting concrete culverts to be built under the road with $1.1 million of federal funds. That project allowed the county to petition Caltrans for designation as a bridge, which it approved.
In 2009, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors requested design bids for the Rock Springs Road bridge.
At the time, design and environmental review work for the project on the long-awaited bridge was estimated to cost $2 million.
In 2010, San Bernardino County supervisors said one of their goals was to approve annual platform documents that help obtain additional funding for infrastructure projects, including $10 million for the $30 million Rock Springs Road Bridge project.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: $19.2M Rock Spring Rd. Bridge project over Mojave River begins in Apple Valley
Reporting by Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
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