Project Overview

The County of Riverside (County) proposes to construct a pedestrian bridge to traverse the gap along Skyview Road at French Valley Creek in the Community of French Valley in the County’s unincorporated Southwest Area. 

Skyview Road is designated as a collector street that connects Highway 79 (Winchester Road) and Pourroy Road in the French Valley community in unincorporated Riverside County, California. Approximately 800 feet east of Highway 79 is French Valley Creek. There is a gap in Skyview Road where there is no road crossing at French Valley Creek. The County has determined a need to provide continuity on Skyview Road over French Valley Creek. The bridge will serve as a multipurpose pedestrian and bicyclist bridge with no vehicular travel. A new library, the French Valley Library, has been recently constructed at the northwest quadrant of the proposed pedestrian bridge in a separate project by the County. The proposed bridge will provide a trail path between the French Valley Library and the Susan LaVorgna Elementary School located at the southeast corner of the intersection of Skyview Road and Via Santiago/Algarve Avenue.  

The proposed bridge will consist of a 18-foot-wide walkway width and will be approximately 370 feet long and 22 feet tall at its highest point. The bridge will consist of four spans and three single-column piers. Two 100-foot-long interior spans and 85-foot-long end spans in a structure depth of 4 feet are proposed. It is anticipated the single column piers will be approximately 4-feet in diameter supported on 4’-6” diameter Type I Cast-In-Drilled-Hole (CIDH) concrete piles. Single column piers on CIDH pile shafts instead of conventional pile footings were considered to minimize channel excavation and reduce the permanent impacts within the channel. 

Architectural treatments will be implemented on the railings along the edges of the bridge deck, deck surface, exterior faces of the bridge girder, piers, and abutments to enhance the bridge aesthetics. The bridge railings will be installed with low-profile LED light with a color temperature of 2200K or lower to enhance safety without light intrusion onto the biologically sensitive channel bed.  

The proposed bridge deck is anticipated to be slightly raised from the existing riverbanks, which will require a geometric transition at the road approaches. The approach transition may require retaining walls and bridge wingwalls to accommodate the road transition. The proposed bridge will be designed for emergency vehicle access.  

There will be improvements to the channel slopes to accommodate the bridge abutments and reconstruction of storm drains. This work will occur within existing hardscape areas, such as the unvegetated riprap and concrete areas on either side of the channel at the bridge location. Minimal grading is anticipated associated with the reconstruction of the storm drains within the footprints of existing facilities, all other grading will be within the abutment and pier footprints. There will be no other Project components within the channel other than the installation of the bridge piers/columns. 

In summary, the purpose of the project is to: 

1. Construct a multipurpose pedestrian and bicyclist bridge at the gap on Skyview Road over the French Valley Channel. 

2. Provide pedestrian access for residence east of the French Valley Channel to the newly constructed library at the northwest quadrant of the proposed bridge. 

3. Provide an aesthetically pleasing pedestrian bridge to compliment the proposed library as well as the surrounding suburban neighborhood. 

Project Photos