Depending on the amount of rainfall in San Diego County, Lake Hodges's water level fluctuates significantly.

Due to the vast amount of vegetation that springs up when water levels are low, the area below the bridge has been jokingly referred to as "Hodges National Forest".

The nature of the lake and the surrounding land makes the bridge the singular access into the city of San Diego from inland North County.

Although paved access roads through the San Pasqual Valley to the east of Lake Hodges do exist, they are lightly traveled and are not designed to handle heavy traffic.

This design was chosen for having the least impact on environmentally sensitive habitats in the construction area.