Nearly a year after the project was halted, the Ranchero Road bridge over the California Aqueduct in Hesperia will soon be demolished in preparation for a new structure.
Hesperia city officials said beginning Jan. 26, Ranchero Road will be closed between Seventh and Cottonwood avenues, as Beador Construction crews begin bridge demolition.
A new bridge with two lanes in each direction will then be constructed, with the expected completion date of the project earmarked for December 2026, city officials stated.
Residents within the closed section of Ranchero Road will still have access to their homes, but no vehicles will be able to pass over the aqueduct.
Detours will be posted during the project, and commuters will need to utilize alternate routes to Interstate 15 and Highway 138.
Commuters should expect delays and budget additional time for travel. Drivers are asked to obey all posted signs, personnel and speed limits while traveling near the project, city leaders stated.
For decades, commuters from Hesperia and Apple Valley have used Rancho Road to access Interstate 15 and each other’s municipalities.
Bridge project suspended
In February 2025, the city of Hesperia unexpectedly announced the suspension of demolition and new construction of the Ranchero Road bridge over the aqueduct.
At that time, a brief Facebook post by city leaders said suspension of the bridge project was “in the best interest of the city,” and was “due to unanticipated delays, increased costs, and other unforeseen circumstances beyond our control.”
City leaders said they will suspend demolition and construction of the Ranchero Road bridge at that time while evaluating alternative strategies.
During that time, Hesperia spokesperson Kelly Brady told the Daily Press, “Beyond what we’ve already shared, we can confirm that unforeseen delays with the California Department of Water Resources permit have impacted the project.”
Brady added that the city had diligently worked for two years to secure the permit, which was obtained nine months prior. However, the city continued to face challenges with an unclear path forward.
“Additionally, significant cost increases have further affected the project,” Brady said. “As part of this, potential litigation matters related to the contractor exist, and we are unable to provide further comment at this time.”
“This decision allows the city to carefully evaluate the best course of action,” Brady said. “Staff is actively working to identify alternative strategies while ensuring the best possible outcome for the city and community.”
Launch of bridge project
In October 2024, Hesperia leaders said that after years of planning, the bridge over the California Aqueduct on Ranchero Road would finally be demolished and replaced.
The project includes removing the existing two-lane bridge and constructing a new one with six vehicle travel lanes and shared pedestrian/bicycle pathways.
At that time, the two-lane bridge project was expected to be completed in August 2025, according to city leaders.
After preliminary and underground work for bridge demolition had been completed in December 2024, the city announced that the closure of the bridge was temporarily lifted through mid-January 2025.
The lift was extended into February, and the bridge project went into limbo until January 2026.
Meanwhile, work continues on the nearly completed Ranchero Road widening project between the east side of Ranchero Road near I-15 and east toward Seventh Avenue.
Bridge project woes
For nearly 15 years, improvements to the Ranchero Road bridge have faced several hurdles and obstacles.
The Ranchero Road aqueduct bridge was constructed in 1969 and was later described as too narrow to efficiently accommodate pedestrians and additional vehicular traffic, city officials said.
The bridge replacement project was placed on hold as the city focused on the Ranchero Road corridor improvement project from Interstate 15 to the BNSF railway underpass near Santa Fe Avenue, which began in 2011.
Over 10 years ago, despite knowing the city had planned to widen Ranchero Road and replace the bridge, the California Department of Water Resources required Hesperia to fund an earthquake retrofit project on the aqueduct bridge, the Daily Press reported.
The $560,000 retrofit project began in 2014 and forced the closure of a portion of Ranchero Road, a major route for commuters in the southern end of the city.
In January 2015, water resources representative Brian Moore felt the wrath of the Hesperia Council when he announced the Ranchero Road bridge would not reopen to the public until mid-February of that year, more than three months after its promised completion date.
In 2019, the Hesperia Council reluctantly voted 5-0 to adopt a mitigated negative declaration under the CEQA, which paved the way for the Ranchero Road bridge project, the Daily Press reported.
Retrofitting issues
The retrofitted bridge did not meet the new Department of Water Resources requirements and could not be expanded.
Due to the height discrepancy from the old to the new Department of Water Resources clearance standards, along with the angle of the bridge, constructing an adjacent bridge was not feasible.
For those reasons, demolition of the existing bridge and construction of a new bridge were required, the Department of Water Resources told the council.
In 2019, former Councilman Bill Holland, then mayor, said, “Suffice to say, this is bureaucracy at its finest. You have a perfectly good bridge, just retrofitted.”
Eight bridges cross the aqueduct throughout the city and all are owned and maintained by Department of Water Resources.
In April 2015, the newly retrofitted bridge on Maple was opened to traffic, almost four weeks ahead of the Department of Water Resources’ schedule.
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: Revived bridge project to close portion of Ranchero Road in Hesperia
Reporting by Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
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