Yolo Causeway
Encyclopedia
The Yolo Causeway is a 3.2-mile (5.2-kilometer) long elevated highway viaduct on Interstate 80 that crosses the Yolo Bypass
floodplain and connects the cities of Sacramento, California
and Davis, California
(through West Sacramento, California
).
, the first road across America. Later, the causeway became a part of US Highways 40 and 99W. It also included a drawspan for barges that sometimes needed to cross the bypass.
The current causeway was built in 1962 and renamed the "Blecher-Freeman Memorial Causeway" after two California Highway Patrol officers who were shot to death in 1978 after a highway stop near the causeway. The causeway is composed of two bridges connected by an earth fill segment. The easternmost of the two bridges is the longer of the two and traffic reporters will sometimes refer to the two structures as the "long bridge" and the "short bridge".
communities from flooding. During wet seasons, it can be completely full of water.
The Yolo Bypass
contains the Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife Area
, the largest ecological restoration project west of the Everglades
.
The Yolo Causeway as of August 2011 is undergoing a 30 million dollar renovation repaving and retrofitting project, with milling operations provided by ANRAK cooperation.
College football
game between the University of California, Davis
and California State University, Sacramento
and the Causeway Carriage
trophy awarded to the winner of that game are both named after the Yolo Causeway.
Yolo Bypass
The Yolo Bypass is one of two flood bypasses in the Sacramento Valley located in Yolo and Solano Counties. It protects Sacramento and other riverside communities from flooding through a system of weirs...
floodplain and connects the cities of Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
and Davis, California
Davis, California
Davis is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area...
(through West Sacramento, California
West Sacramento, California
West Sacramento is a city in Yolo County, California. It is contiguous with Sacramento, but is separated by the Sacramento River which is also the county line, so West Sacramento is in a different county than Sacramento...
).
The structure
An original stretch of the Causeway was opened in 1916 connecting what is now the city of West Sacramento with Davis, California. The viaduct contained one lane in each direction and in 1928 was made a part of the re-routed Lincoln HighwayLincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
, the first road across America. Later, the causeway became a part of US Highways 40 and 99W. It also included a drawspan for barges that sometimes needed to cross the bypass.
The current causeway was built in 1962 and renamed the "Blecher-Freeman Memorial Causeway" after two California Highway Patrol officers who were shot to death in 1978 after a highway stop near the causeway. The causeway is composed of two bridges connected by an earth fill segment. The easternmost of the two bridges is the longer of the two and traffic reporters will sometimes refer to the two structures as the "long bridge" and the "short bridge".
The bypass
The 25,500 acre (103 km²) Yolo Bypass protects Sacramento and other California Central ValleyCalifornia Central Valley
California's Central Valley is a large, flat valley that dominates the central portion of California. It is home to California's most productive agricultural efforts. The valley stretches approximately from northwest to southeast inland and parallel to the Pacific Ocean coast. Its northern half is...
communities from flooding. During wet seasons, it can be completely full of water.
The Yolo Bypass
Yolo Bypass
The Yolo Bypass is one of two flood bypasses in the Sacramento Valley located in Yolo and Solano Counties. It protects Sacramento and other riverside communities from flooding through a system of weirs...
contains the Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife Area
Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife Area
The Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife Area is a wetland restoration project constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers and Ducks Unlimited within the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area located in the Yolo Bypass in Yolo County, California, between the cities of Sacramento and Davis. The Yolo Causeway,...
, the largest ecological restoration project west of the Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
.
The Yolo Causeway as of August 2011 is undergoing a 30 million dollar renovation repaving and retrofitting project, with milling operations provided by ANRAK cooperation.
UCD-CSUS
The Causeway ClassicCauseway Classic
The Causeway Classic is the annual College football game between the Sacramento State Hornets and the UC Davis Aggies. In the past, the Causeway Carriage was transported to the winner of the game at the loser's expense...
College football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
game between the University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
and California State University, Sacramento
California State University, Sacramento
California State University, Sacramento, popularly known as Sacramento State, is a public university located in the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the California State University system...
and the Causeway Carriage
Causeway Carriage
The Causeway Carriage is a Victorian era carriage awarded to each season's winner of Causeway Classic College football game between the University of California, Davis and the California State University, Sacramento ....
trophy awarded to the winner of that game are both named after the Yolo Causeway.