Bear Valley Road Bridge improvements to temporarily close several lanes in Victorville
Improvements to the Bear Valley Road Bridge will force the temporary closure of several lanes on the roadway over three days in Victorville.
Bear Valley Road will be reduced to only one through lane in each direction between Hesperia Road and Tamarisk Road from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. from Thursday through Saturday.
With delays expected, motorists are strongly encouraged to avoid the area and use alternate routes, City of Victorville officials said.
About the widening project
Riverside Construction Co. will make improvements to the Bear Valley Road Bridge as part of a $9.8 million widening project between and near Industrial Boulevard and Ridgecrest Road.
Once complete, both sides of the Bear Valley Road overhead bridge — which spans the BNSF railroad — would be expanded “with standard lane widths and shoulders,” Victorville officials said.
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The widening would include the addition of a second left turn lane from Bear Valley Road to Ridgecrest Road, which City Manager Keith Metzler said last year, would help alleviate traffic, or “stacking,” that typically builds up during rush hour.
Traffic signals at the Industrial Boulevard and Ridgecrest Road intersections will also be replaced.
The Victorville City Council unanimously voted to award the contract for the project on Sept. 7 to the lowest bidder, Riverside Construction Co.
City staff said in a report that construction could last about 14 months. Without delays, the bridge would be finished by spring 2023.
Both federal and county dollars are being used to help the city fund the $12.3 million project, a staff report showed.
With the approved contract, about $5.5 million would come from a Federal Highway Administration Highway Bridge Program grant, roughly $4.5 million from Victorville and around $2.2 million from the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority.
The city, however, requested an increase in the federal grant which would lower its contribution to the project to a little more than $2.9 million.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Bear Valley Road Bridge to temporarily shutter lanes in Victorville
