Fallbrook quarry project spurs road work on 76

By: TOM PFINGSTEN - Staff Writer
Ambitious widening, realignment to begin in May | Saturday, February 16, 2008 10:33 PM PST ∞

FALLBROOK ---- A gravel mining company began preparations last week to widen 1.3 miles of Highway 76 and open a quarry on the east-facing slope of Rosemary's Mountain.

Granite Construction, which plans to operate the quarry about a mile northeast of the intersection of Interstate 15 and Highway 76, started building a fence around its 38-acre site last week.

The move signals the beginning of a long-awaited project that involves widening and realigning a portion of Highway 76 between I-15 and Rice Canyon Road ---- a requirement that the company must complete before it begins selling sand and gravel from Rosemary's Mountain.

The road construction will cost about $26 million and take at least nine months to complete. The work includes straightening two sharp curves and adding a lane in each direction and will begin in May or June, according to those familiar with the project.

But before the new four-lane stretch of the route to Pala and Pauma Valley opens next year, those who travel the road must endure traffic delays stemming from road construction and blasting on nearby hills, a project manager said.

Granite Construction spokesman Gary Johnson said that once blasting begins in May, the traffic delays will be in the 10- to 15-minute range and will not occur every day.

"There will not be delays on the weekends, when most of the traffic is, or on Friday afternoons," said Johnson. "The delays will be staggered, and they will be short in duration."

Other delays caused by normal road construction will take place later in the process, he said.

"The important thing is, once this is done, the road will be a lot safer and easier to drive," he said.

Future needs
Sam Amen, a Caltrans project manager who has been working on the Highway 76 widening for several years, said last week that a projected 452 truck trips will be added to the road when the quarry starts selling gravel, probably in 2010 or 2011.

"It's mainly related to projections ... especially the truck traffic (from the quarry)," Amen said. "The road right now doesn't support the amount of trucks we are expecting."

While Pala Casino and other gaming establishments farther east have dramatically increased commuter traffic on Highway 76, Amen said, Caltrans and county officials saw a need to straighten the curves and add a lane in each direction specifically because of the trucks.

The Pala tribe will be paying for half of the $26 million project, and Granite Construction will pay for the other half, Johnson said.

Part of the construction company's half of the cost will include providing rock and other fill material from Rosemary's Mountain, which is why blasting will begin before the road work kicks off, he said.

Quarry to open later
Once the road construction is finished in 2009, Granite Construction will begin developing the quarry site, which entails building permanent structures, such as a rock crusher and asphalt plant.

"We're guessing that it will be fully operational in three years from now ---- a year for the road, and two years to get the plant up and running," said Karie Reuther, a spokeswoman for Granite Construction.

Operating from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, the quarry will sell 1 million tons of sand and gravel a year for 20 years, according to site plans.

Controversy over its proximity to the San Luis Rey River prompted two decades of opposition from Bonsall-based nonprofit group RiverWatch, but in the last few years the project has received all the permits it needs to begin operating.

More recently, opponents of a second proposed quarry in the area have raised concerns about airborne pollutants being released from Rosemary's Mountain.

Granite Construction officials say air quality around the quarry will be monitored.

The road construction is the last hurdle Granite Construction must clear before selling the prime ingredient of concrete and asphalt ---- a mixture of sand and gravel known as "aggregate" ---- to the building industry in the region.

Traffic delays
Johnson and other company officials said that traffic delays on Highway 76 will be advertised in advance using electronic signs and that a hotline has been established for traffic updates.

Reuther said that callers may also leave messages on the hotline: (760) 391-6340.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Granite Construction will do the actual road work, Reuther said.

The project will be sent out for bids in March or April, and the company will bid on it, but another company may ultimately be chosen by Caltrans to do the work, she said.

Contact staff writer Tom Pfingsten at (760) 740-3516 or tpfingsten@nctimes.com.

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