The Freeman Gulch Four-Lane Project is located on SR 14 in northeastern Kern County. The project was designed to convert the existing two-lane conventional highway into a four-lane divided controlled access expressway. Improvements Climate and environmental issues were major challenges. The project team had to work in a rural part of the high desert where summer highs climb above 110 F and winter lows drop down to 15 F. The area is also subject to flash floods and high wind gusts that can exceed 69 miles per hour. In, addition, 21 sensitive species live within or near the project site. Caltrans biologist coordinated with resource agencies to determine appropriate mitigation and avoidance measures.
During construction the Caltrans biologist worked closely with the construction team to implement measures to avoid impacts to listed and sensitive species such as Mojave ground squirrel and desert tortoise.
Terrestrial Wildlife and Ecosystem Interactions with Transportation
Construction Desert Avoidance