Construction Completed on Floradale Avenue Bridge

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On June 21, 2023, traffic switched to the new Floradale Avenue Bridge west of Lompoc. The new
bridge is 60 feet longer, constructed adjacent to the existing bridge, and includes aesthetic
enhancements, including a stained tubular bicycle railing and a concrete barrier with stained faux
cobblestones and stacked rocks. The original bridge that crosses the Santa Ynez River was built
in 1969 and was replaced due to seismic deficiencies. It will be demolished later this year.

MCM Construction constructed the new 580-ft two-lane concrete bridge. It incorporates four-span
cast-in-place post-tensioned concrete box girders and provides the same number of travel lanes
as the current bridge. Expenditures for the $19 million project were reimbursed by the Federal
Highway Bridge Program ($17 million) which includes funding from Proposition 1B State Seismic
Funds ($600K), and a Local Match of $2.2 million.

Despite the adverse weather conditions from the storm event around January 9, 2023, when the
Santa Ynez River overtopped the river banks and the water level rose to within 7 feet of the lower
surface of the original bridge arch, all work was completed on time, and the bridge sustained little
to no damage. No construction time was lost because the contractor had shut down work during
the winter work suspension period, and the site had been winterized per the annual winterization
plan and the SWPPP. On March 9, 2023, Santa Barbara County Public Works also received an
American Public Works Association – Central Coast Chapter award for the bridge in the
“Transportation Project Greater than $15M” category.

Santa Barbara County Public Works staff would like to thank the public for their patience during
construction. For more information on Transportation construction projects, visit www.pwsb.net