The Yolo Causeway is a long elevated highway viaduct on Interstate 80 that crosses the Yolo Bypass floodplain, connecting the cities of West Sacramento, California and Davis, California. It is officially named the Blecher-Freeman Memorial Causeway after two California Highway Patrol officers who were killed in the line of duty just east of the causeway.

History

Ferry service was usually required to cross the Yolo Bypass basin during seasonal flooding; the first county seat of Yolo County was the town of Fremont, built near the ferry crossing near the confluence of the Sacramento and Feather Rivers. Fremont was wiped out during the floods of 1851. As an alternative, settlers established the Yolo Plankroad, which was a route that ended close to present-day Woodland, California. Once the ground was sufficiently dry to support vehicle traffic, the first vehicle to make it across the Yolo Bypass established the seasonal "Tule Jake" Road, which was typically passable only during the summer months.

1916 causeway

thumb|left|An artist's representation of the original Yolo Causeway,

The original Yolo Causeway opened on March 18, 1916 connecting what is now the city of West Sacramento with Davis, California. but in 1928, following the completion of the Carquinez Bridge, it was made a part of the re-routed Lincoln Highway, the first road across America. Later, the causeway became a part of US Highways 40 and 99W.

1962 causeway

The current causeway was built in 1962. From west to east, the causeway is composed of twinned concrete trestles, a earth fill segment, and twinned concrete trestles. The easternmost of the two bridges is the longer of the two and traffic reporters will sometimes refer to the two structures as the "long bridge" and the "short bridge". Each trestle carries a , three-lane roadway.

It was renamed the "Blecher-Freeman Memorial Causeway" in 1994, after two California Highway Patrol officers who were shot to death in 1978 after a highway stop near the causeway.

Proposed improvements

thumb|right|upright=1.5|View east towards Sacramento during 2017 winter flooding; traffic on [[Interstate 80 in California|I-80 travels over the Yolo Causeway, on the right hand side of the photograph]]

In 2018, Caltrans announced plans to extend the carpool lane along I-80 from Solano County to Sacramento County, which includes plans to widen the causeway to four lanes in each direction. The proposed widening would not start until at least 2024, and the project is estimated to cost $800 million. One proposed alternative would use the extra lane as a toll lane.

Environmental groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club are suing Caltrans citing a flawed environmental impact report that underestimates the impacts to traffic volumes, greenhouse gas emissions, and air quality. There are also concerns that the construction activities could impact the colony of Mexican free-tailed bats that live under the causeway, as well as the Swainson's hawks and Tricolored blackbirds that inhabit the area.

Under a 2013 amendment to the California Environmental Quality Act, Caltrans is required to mitigate environmental impact of additional traffic induced by any projects. However, the district director for Caltrans has stated that it is not feasible to fully mitigate the impacts of this project. A 2002 study showed that water begins to flow from the Sacramento into the Fremont Weir when the flow reaches approximately ; for comparison, the capacity of the Yolo Bypass is .

thumb|right|Bats fly out from under the Yolo Causeway (2018)

Approximately 250,000 Mexican free-tailed bats migrate to the Yolo Causeway every June. They roost in the expansion joints between the causeway segments, and feed on the insects that live in the wetlands formed by the Yolo Bypass.

Causeway Classic

The Causeway Classic, an annual college football game between the Aggies of the University of California, Davis and the Hornets of California State University, Sacramento, is named after the causeway. A trophy made from a concrete core sample taken from the causeway is awarded to the winner.

See also

References

  • Yolo Causeway - Davis Wiki
  • Caltrans timeline
  • CHP Memorial: Blecher-Freeman