Bridge Night

In the dark of night, Caltrans crews have been working by floodlight to build a new overpass at Sand Canyon Road above the Antelope Valley Freeway.

The $1-million road construction project involves dismantling the existing bridge and replacing it with a higher, wider span, said Vincent Moreno, a Caltrans spokesman.

The new overpass will accommodate taller commercial trucks traveling along the freeway beneath the bridge and a projected increase in traffic on Sand Canyon Road resulting from residential and commercial development in Santa Clarita, Moreno said.

Caltrans began the project in August because commercial trucks higher than 15 feet were unable to pass under the bridge deck, Moreno said. To avoid striking the bridge, truckers got off the freeway at Sand Canyon Road and traveled an access road to get back on.

So far, construction crews have torn down portions of the existing span and replaced them with new 17-foot-high sections, officials said. They have also widened the road from two lanes to four and installed sidewalks.

On a recent night, Caltrans closed the freeway’s southbound lanes at Sand Canyon from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Crews removed wood and steel beams, welded clamps and inspected construction barricades. Caltrans officials expect the bridge to be completed in June.