May 2009

New Washington Bridge Opened!

The Grade Separation Project marked another major milestone with the opening of the new Washington Boulevard Bridge on April 4, 2009. Motorists and pedestrians on Washington Boulevard and Osgood Road will use the new bridge and no longer need to detour around the construction site. While there are final roadway reconfigurations to complete including completing the elevated portion of Driscoll Road, motorists will no longer need to stop for trains at the new Washington Boulevard.

The construction team is now focused on completing the Driscoll Road connection with Washington Boulevard. This includes constructing portions of embankment for the new elevated Driscoll Road and then rerouting traffic from the Driscoll Road detour onto the new elevated roadway by the end of May 2009 (weather permitting). The initial Driscoll Road and Osgood Road connection will provide one lane in each direction but will be widened to two lanes in each direction by mid-summer 2009. The final Washington Boulevard configuration will open to traffic by fall 2009.

At Paseo Padre Parkway, work is progressing on schedule with the eastern half of the underpass constructed and paved and retaining walls nearing completion on the western half. The new Paseo Padre Parkway underpass is anticipated to be open to traffic by early summer 2009.