Very interesting article for me since I grew up in Sacramento ( late '40s through 1960 ). The old Yolo Causeway was a very narrow four lane bridge about 8-10 miles long, as I recall. The ultimate trust in a new driver in our family ( I was the youngest of four ) was to be allowed to drive the Causeway - absolutely no room for error.

The bypass was a large expanse of grassland, when dry, and flooded plain during the wet season. Used to be a lot of rice farming there during the '50s and maybe beyond. Now we find out that the midges that were hanging out there all that time were an undiscovered - unnamed would be a better word - species.

John