Bouquet Canyon Road

Location

Unincorporated Angeles National Forest (between Elizabeth Lake Road and Spunky Canyon Road)

City or County Responsible for Project

Los Angeles County

Category

Roads: Efficient and Sustainable Road Maintenance, Construction and Reconstruction Projects.

Author

Hassan Alameddine

Organization

Los Angeles County Public Works

Address

900 South Freemont Avenue, Alhambra, CA 91803

Phone

626-458-4911

Project Description

Los Angeles County Public Works (Public Works) rehabilitated approximately 6.5 miles of Bouquet Canyon Road (Project) in 2020. Bouquet Canyon Road is a north-south two-lane major highway that connects the Santa Clarita Valley with communities in the Leona Valley and the Antelope Valley. In addition, it serves as an alternate route for commuters traveling along the SR-14 freeway and provides access to the Bouquet Reservoir and the Pacific Crest Trail. It is located within an unincorporated area of the Angeles National Forest and partially within the jurisdiction of the City of Palmdale, which also participated in the Project. Due to the Project’s remote location, Public Works utilized pavement treatment strategies that minimized the hauling of materials in and out of the area to limit the impact to commuters and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To embrace the County’s three prong sustainable approach, the treatment method chosen was recycling 3 inches of the existing asphalt using the Cold In-Place Recycling (CIR) process and constructing 1½ inches of asphalt rubber hot mix (ARHM) on the CIR pavement. CIR recycles the existing pavement in place, while addressing extensive pavement distresses and localized failures. When compared to traditional construction methods, this sustainable process provided a cost savings of $612,000. CIR is not only cost effective, but it also provided a 77% reduction in energy consumption, 79% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and the elimination of 6,200 cubic yards materials being hauled to landfills. The use of ARHM also provided great benefits. Rubberized asphalt resists cracking, which reduces maintenance costs. ARHM can also last 50% longer than conventional asphalt when properly designed and constructed as Public Works has employed with this Project. In addition, ARHM retains its darker color longer and produces a quieter ride – providing a better driving experience to commuters. Using ARHM, the rehabilitation of Bouquet Canyon Road resulted in over 5,800 scrap tires being diverted from landfills. Additionally, the Project was delivered utilizing Job Order Contracting (JOC) along with support from own forces to perform the pavement preparation work and shoulder grading. The JOC process is a flexible unit price contracting method used to complete maintenance, repair, and refurbishment of County roadway infrastructure and building facilities. Public Works believes that the Bouquet Canyon Road project is an outstanding example of an efficient and sustainable road maintenance project. It demonstrated the collaboration between different jurisdictions and resulted in benefits that are measurable and replicable. It also shows that agencies do not have to sacrifice cost or performance in order to be environmentally friendly. The County improved the pavement condition index of this roadway from 46 (poor) to 100 (excellent) while achieving cost and environmental savings. Project was funded by RMRA funds.