Cow Camp Road Bridge over Gobernadora Canyon is ASCE Orange County’s Project of the Year

The Cow Camp Road Bridge over Gobernadora Canyon was recognized by ASCE Orange County as the overall Project of the Year.

Cow Camp Road is a four-lane arterial roadway located east of San Juan Capistrano. It serves as a vital east–west link between Antonio Parkway and Ortega Highway, providing access and all backbone infrastructure to a new development of the Rancho Mission Viejo (RMV) property where 14,000 homes are planned along with 5.2 million square feet of non-residential uses over 6,000 acres.

The Cow Camp Road Bridge over Gobernadora Canyon is 1,340-feet-long and 79-feet-wide and accommodates vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle traffic over a 60-foot-deep natural canyon and major regional drainage facility. When construction is complete, this will be one of the largest bridges in Orange County. Critical infrastructure utilities, including water, electrical, gas and communications are supported within the structure, providing connections to various phases of the new development. This massive, yet elegant, structure is constructed of post-tensioned concrete supported on seven-foot diameter columns and 12-foot diameter shaft foundations in the canyon to a depth of 130 feet.  

The multi-discipline project team worked closely with RMV to gain concurrence from numerous public agencies during the planning, engineering and construction phases of Cow Camp Road over the last seven years.