State Route 58 Widening Project - Bakersfield Freeways

Summary of Findings, Conclusions and Determinations
Summary of Findings, Conclusions and Determinations
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), in cooperation with the City
of Bakersfield and the County of Kern, proposes to improve an approximate 5.6-mile
segment of State Route (SR) 58, locally known as Rosedale Highway. The project area
is located within unincorporated Kern County and the City of Bakersfield; the limits
extend from west of Allen Road to State Route (SR) 99.
The proposed project would construct two new lanes between Allen Road and SR 99;
this would result in a six lane roadway throughout the project limits (post mile [PM]
46.1 to PM 51.7). Improvements would also include a grade separated rail crossing that
would be constructed between Mohawk Street and Landco Drive. The bridge over
Calloway Canal would be widened; however, the bridge over the Friant-Kern Canal
would not be widened.
The purpose of the proposed project is to improve east-west traffic flow on the local
and regional transportation systems and to improve traffic operations within the
corridor to accommodate planned growth.
The proposed project is part of the Thomas Roads Improvement Program (TRIP),
which includes 10 projects: six road improvement projects in the planning and
environmental review phases, three road projects currently under construction
(Westside Parkway, SR-178 at Fairfax Interchange and 7 th Standard Road) and one
route adoption (West Beltway).
The Biological Study Area (BSA) for the proposed project includes a 5.6-mile-long
section of Rosedale Highway plus a 500-foot buffer area north and south of the
roadway’s centerline.
A list of special-status plant and animal species that have the potential to occur within
a ten-mile query radius of the BSA was established by conducting a literature review
of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) online special-status species
list, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) California Natural Diversity
Database (CNDDB) and the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) species list.
Fourteen federally listed species have been evaluated for their potential to occur in the
BSA. Of these species, the federally listed endangered San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes
macrotis mutica) has potential to occur in the BSA. The remaining thirteen species are
not expected to occur in the BSA due to the lack of suitable habitat, because they were
not observed during surveys, or because they are not known to occur in the immediate
project vicinity.
State Route 58 Widening Project Biological Assessment S-1