San Marcos Creek City District Infrastructure Project
San Marcos, California
Merit Award
Sent by: SEMA Construction Inc.
Owner/Main Design Company: California Department of Transportation
General contractor: SEMA Construction Inc.
To improve accessibility and minimize the risk of flooding in the San Marcos Creek floodplain, as well as preserve stream habitat and improve the ability to cross the area, this $72.5 million project included the construction of two new bridges on Via Vera Cruz and Bent Avenue, along with sidewalks. and bike lanes. Crews also preserved and enhanced 1.5 miles of stream habitat and built a new neighborhood park and surrounding trail, completing work on schedule in March 2024.
The project focused heavily on utilities and included the installation of over a mile of storm drains of various sizes, a box culvert, 1,800 linear feet of sewer mains, over 4,500 feet linear of new water lines and a joint ditch system a mile long.
Since the project is located on a 100-year flood plain, construction activities were timed to coincide as closely as possible with dry seasons to reduce the risk of flooding and potential work stoppages.
Both Via Vera Cruz and Bent Avenue bridges feature pile foundations to mitigate seasonal flood risks. But to complete this work, the team had to build stream diversions and earth dams so the on-site team could work in mostly dry conditions.
An earth levee will serve as an essential protection measure for residents and roads south of the project area, safeguarding them from possible future flooding. The levee, which extended 2,600 linear feet, required excavation and embankment of about 46,000 cubic yards of select fill.
