Shannon & Wilson performed subsurface explorations and pavement coring, provided geotechnical recommendations for low water crossing bridges, and completed pavement designs for rehabilitation of the roadway and parking lots. The asphalt paved roadway is a 13-mile one-way loop road with several paved and gravel side roads that provide access to various trailheads throughout the conservation area.

Shannon & Wilson implemented a field exploration program that consisted of 10 geotechnical borings for structures and 41 borings for pavement rehabilitation design. The structure borings were completed off road, which required an Environmental Assessment due to Desert Tortoise habitat. The pavement borings were completed at night when the loop road was closed to avoid delay for the one-way traffic flow during the day. Geophysical studies were completed at select locations to identify potential areas with excavation risk due to caliche deposits in the desert soils.

Our pavement designs included full-depth reclamation for the rehabilitation of the loop road and parking lots, aggregate surfaced spur roads, and new pavement sections for new parking lots and approaches to new bridge structures. Additionally, the pavement designs included optional sections for proposed alternatives that included transit buses and conversion to a two-way traffic pattern.