Cajon Pass Pavement Repair Project Begins

Cajon Pass Project

Caltrans: Two years of work to yield 50 years of durability.

CAJON PASS • Commuters will drive around moveable work zones in the Cajon Pass area for the next two years, but the construction results are expected to last 50 years.

In the Interstate 15 Cajon Pass Rehabilitation Project, Caltrans will undertake resurfacing and restoring the roadway pavement while managing traffic flow for peak-travel-hour efficiency.

The affected area runs from about two miles south of Highway 395 in Hesperia to just south of the Kenwood Avenue exit in the Cajon Pass.

Contractors will use mobile K-rail moving equipment to shift the concrete lane barriers daily to manage traffic flow.

Coffman Specialties Inc. and Parsons Corp. joined efforts to design and build the $120 million project. All funding comes from the State Highway Operation and Protection Program, which pays for restoration projects on aging highways not otherwise funded.

The 10-year SHOPP plan estimates an average $2.3 billion in work to be delivered each year. Only the highest-priority statewide needs are targeted this year, according to Caltrans.

Caltrans says the Cajon Pass project will extend the interstate lanes’ service life with minimal expense. It consists of replacing two outer Portland cement concrete pavement lanes and asphalt concrete shoulders and patched areas; grinding and replacing slabs needing repair in interior lanes; rehabilitating ramp pavement; and upgrading and installing roadside safety features.

Future nighttime lane closures generally will take place from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., depending on day and direction of travel affected, Caltrans spokeswoman Joy Sepulveda said.

The moveable-median concept for enhanced driver safety was pioneered during the recently completed Doyle Drive Bypass/Presidio Parkway construction in San Francisco, project managers said.

A brief, narrated video describing the process can be viewed at Cajon Pass Project Narrative.

Information about the project, including the managed traffic-flow animation, was made available to the public at two open houses hosted last week in Victorville and Phelan.

Work on the Cajon Pass Rehabilitation Project began recently with contractors strengthening the roadway shoulders. The project is slated to be completed by June 2016.

The project can be followed online at Cajon Pass Project and through related social media channels.

Gary Brodeur may be contacted at 760-951-6245 or gbrodeur@vvdailypress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_gbrodeur.