Under the direction of John D. Spreckels, construction of the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railroad began in 1907. It was backed by Edward Henry Harriman at the urging of President Theodore Roosevelt. Engineers called the route impossible as it crossed the Colorado Desert and through the Jacumba Mountains. In 1919, the railroad was completed, connecting San Diego with the Imperial Valley, by way of Mexico. Before the construction of the railroad, the only rail connection to San Diego was from the north, via Los Angeles, which was only completed in the late 19th century. The new railway provided a connection to the Southern Pacific Railway, instead of going north on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. At the opening of the railway, and prior to the construction of the Goat Canyon Trestle, the most significant bridge on the route was the Campo Creek Viaduct, which is long and high above the ground.