FALLBROOK: Groundbreaking held for quarry, road widening project

By TOM PFINGSTEN - Staff Writer | Friday, June 20, 2008 7:09 PM PDT ∞

Hardhats and shovels await dignitaries for use during the groundbreaking ceremony held for road improvements to State Route 76 east of Interstate 15 near Pala Casino. (Photo by Jamie Scott Lytle - Staff Photographer)

Road improvements will soon start on State Route 76 east of Interstate 15 near Pala Casino. (Photo by Jamie Scott Lytle - Staff Photographer)

FALLBROOK ---- Dozens of public officials and construction company executives gathered in an old citrus grove near Pala on Friday afternoon to mark the beginning of two highly publicized projects ---- Rosemary's Mountain quarry and the widening of a portion of Highway 76.

Several local officials recalled how the push to build a quarry atop Rosemary's Mountain ---- just east of Interstate 15 and north of 76 ---- dragged on for 23 years before they could turn over spades of dirt in a ceremonial groundbreaking on Friday.

"It has been a struggle," said Hal Jensen, who first pursued the idea of building the quarry near Pala as the owner of Palomar Grading & Paving in Escondido more than two decades ago. "Nobody was opening new quarries. It was a little more difficult ... and took a lot longer to plan than we thought."

The second project being formally launched on Friday was the widening of 1.3 miles of Highway 76 east of I-15, the first section of the busy road to be widened anywhere east of Oceanside.

Opponents of the quarry fought tooth and nail for two decades in an attempt to block the plans, saying Rosemary's Mountain is too close to the San Luis Rey River and that a quarry had the potential to harm the waterway.

But Granite Construction cleared the last of the hurdles facing the project last year, and has been preparing to widen the road and develop the quarry this year.

Rosemary's Mountain and the road widening go hand in hand, officials said, because Granite Construction is helping to foot the bill of expanding the road to four lanes and straightening two sharp curves between I-15 and Rice Canyon Road.

The company will pay half of the $26 million bill in order to accommodate extra traffic when the quarry opens, a project manager said last month.

The Pala Band of Mission Indians is paying for the rest, and will also pay for later improvements to the highway between Rice Canyon Road and its casino, where the tribe is planning a major expansion.

Among the politicians who attended Friday's ceremony was San Diego county Supervisor Bill Horn, who said he voted to approve the Rosemary's Mountain proposal three times over the years.

"It's been needed for a long time," Horn said as a crowd of about 100 people looked on.

He also pointed out that Highway 76 needs revamping along dozens of miles, both west of I-15 and east, where huge casinos dot the landscape and draw thousands of motorists a week who string out along the narrow, curvy highway.

Pala tribe Chairman Robert Smith also spoke during the ceremony, saying the tribe remains committed to improving the highway as it expands its popular casino just five miles east of I-15.

"It's been a tradition of our tribe to be steward of the land, and that's what we want to continue to do," Smith said.

State Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries, R-Lake Elsinore, said the quarry will provide an economic boon because it will provide a local source of building materials.

"What I see today is jobs ... and that's what our region needs," Jeffries said.

Officials have said the road widening will take about a year to complete, and that motorists can expect periodic delays as construction crews widen and realign the road.

Once the road work is finished next year, Granite Construction will begin developing the quarry at Rosemary's Mountain, which entails building permanent structures such as a rock crusher and an asphalt plant.

Operating from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays when it opens, the quarry will sell 1 million tons of sand and gravel a year for 20 years, according to site plans.

In February, a spokeswoman said it should take about three years for the quarry to become fully operational.

Granite Construction has set up a telephone information line for those curious about road closures and other delays at (760) 775-7500.

Contact staff writer Tom Pfingsten at (760) 740-3516 or tpfingsten@nctimes.com.