🛣 Headlines About California Highways – April 2024

Another 30 days, another month down the [assignment: noun]. But that also means its time for another headline post. It’s been another busy month. I finally got a copy of my daughter’s prize-winning essay for the Skirball on Bobby Fieldler and Choice. I’ve been doing more investigation into Medicare and Medicare Advantage (and I highly recommend this episode of An Arm and a Leg). If anyone has personal experience with the Anthem Medicare Preferred (PPO) with Senior Rx Plus Plan, which is commonly offered to retiree teachers, union members, and government contractors, please let me know.

In any case, it is the start of a new month. The Morris Dancers have done their part, and the sun has risen for Spring. For those unfamiliar, this post generally contains headlines about California Highways that I’ve seen over the last month. It also serves as fodder for the updates to my California Highways site, so there are also other pages and things I’ve seen that I wanted to remember for the site updates. Lastly, the post also includes some things that I think would be of peripheral interest to my highway-obsessed highway-interested readers.

So what has happened in April for me. Lots of shows: Funny Girl at the Ahmanson, Xanadu at Canyon Theatre Guild, and The Spongebob Musical at CSUN Theatre. We also saw Gordan Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, which reminds me yet again that Thousand Oaks does not understand risk assessment, having more draconian security to get into a concert than TSA (you can’t bring in a knitting needle—even wood ones, and you can’t bring in a refillable non-spillible water bottle). My wife also had the metal removed from her leg in preparation for knee surgery later in the summer, and we had a great Bakersfield Road Meet.

The podcast continues apace. One more episode dropped in April, and we’re we’ve recorded the last episode of Season 2, which is ready for editing. I’ve started writing Season 3, but it is going slow. Route 3 and the first episode on Route 4 is done. I’m also going to start work on the next round of highway page updates. Episode 2.07 prompted a friend at Caltrans to offer to do an interview to talk about Fastrak and tolling in California; we’ll coordinate that as a bonus episode during the Season 2/3 break. I’m hoping to talk not just about Fastrak and tolling, but all those fake license plates going around, and placement of the transponder (article in the headlines). We also hope to do a bonus episode on Auto Trails. Please tell your friends about the podcast, “like”, “♥”, or “favorite” it, and give it a rating in your favorite podcatcher. Yes, the sound quality of the episodes does get better — we were learning. As always, you can keep up with the show at the podcast’s forever home at https://www.caroutebyroute.org , the show’s page on Spotify for Podcasters, or you can subscribe through your favorite podcatching app or via the RSS feeds (CARxR, Spotify for Podcasters) . The following episodes have been posted this month:

• CA RxR 2.11: Route 2: In the Flatlands (Santa Monica and Los Angeles).  Episode 2.11 of California Highways: Route by Route is the first of two episodes on Route 2. In this episode we explore the general history of all things Route 2: What was the second state route defined; what was legislative route (LRN) 2, what was Sign Route 2, and what is today’s Route 2. We focus on the flatland segment: From Santa Monica to the Glendale Freeway. We do a detailed exploration of the relationship of the Pacific Electric and Santa Monica Blvd; the history of Route 2 and US 66 — and the ever changing routing in Los Angeles and Santa Monica — and the whole story of the never-constructed Beverly Hills Freeway. The last episode of the season will complete our exploration of Route 2 by looking at Route 2 in the hills — the Glendale Freeway and the Angeles Crest Highway.  (Spotify for Podcasters)

Well, you should now be up to date. Here are the headlines that I found about California’s highways for April.

Key

[Ħ Historical information | ＄ Paywalls, ＄＄ really obnoxious paywalls, and ∅ other annoying restrictions. I’m no longer going to list the paper names, as I’m including them in the headlines now. Note: For ＄ paywalls, sometimes the only way is incognito mode, grabbing the text before the paywall shows, and pasting into an editor. See this article for more tips on bypassing paywalls. 🎧 indicates an primarily audio article. 🎥 indicates a primarily video article. ]

Highway Headlines

• ＄ Big Sur tourism ‘on standstill’ after its roadway crumbles into the sea (Los Angeles Times). Tourists and locals alike found themselves stranded overnight in Big Sur on Easter weekend after Caltrans shut down a portion of Highway 1 that was falling into the ocean. It was merely the latest time that the outdoor tourist hot spot was nearly cut off from the outside world. Officials discovered a slip-out on the southbound lane early Saturday evening and quickly closed the road to further vehicle travel to assess damage. With the 1.4-mile stretch shut down, there were no other exit roads and about 1,600 people were forced to seek accommodations for the night.
• Crews escorting cars around damaged section of California’s Highway 1 after lane collapsed in storm (AP News). Authorities urged motorists to avoid California’s Highway 1 along the central coast after a section of the scenic route collapsed during an Easter weekend storm, forcing closures and stranding motorists near Big Sur, authorities said. The collapse occurred amid heavy rain Saturday afternoon near Rocky Creek Bridge about 17 miles (27 kilometers) south of Monterey, sending chunks of asphalt tumbling into the ocean from the southbound side of the two-lane road. The highway was closed in both directions in the mountainous area of California’s central coast as engineers assessed the damage, said the state Department of Transportation, or Caltrans.
• Caltrans crews work on permanent solution for Highway 1 collapse (KSBY). The slip-out and closure of Highway 1 happened Saturday afternoon just south of the Rocky Creek Bridge north of Big Sur. According to a statement released by Caltrans on Sunday, crews are working at the site trying to stabilize the edge of the roadway and put together a permanent repair. Travelers from down south are having to make the adjustments through the Central Coast.
• ＄ Paving on several Santa Rosa roads gets underway in April as rain subsides (Press Democrat). Work to repave neighborhood streets and two major downtown thoroughfares in Santa Rosa is expected to start in April pending additional rain. Road work will take place in a neighborhood near Steele Lane Elementary and in the Grace Tract area where construction crews have been replacing aging water and sewer infrastructure, the city announced last week. Paving is also expected to start in Coffey Park and Fountaingrove where more than three dozen miles of neighborhood roads were damaged during the 2017 Tubbs Fire and work will get underway again on a section of Santa Rosa Avenue following a winter pause during the rainy season.
• California’s Highway 1 road conditions will only get riskier, experts say | California (The Guardian). A long stretch of California’s famed Highway 1 is closed yet again after a large chunk of the scenic route lining the central coast in Big Sur crumbled into the sea on Saturday. The slide, which occurred just south of the Rocky Creek Bridge, is the latest challenge along the winding roadway, which is facing surges in both popularity and peril. Caught between rising tides and crumbling cliff sides, conditions are becoming more extreme as the climate crisis exacerbates the issues. No one has been injured this week, according to officials – but the risks of travelling this road are only going to grow.
• ＄ The Old Road, used when The Grapevine is closed, set for $250 million widening (Daily News). When the Route Fire burned about 5,000 acres near Castaic in August 2022, prompting closure of the 5 Freeway at The Grapevine followed by weeks of lane closures for repairs, motorists exited onto The Old Road detour, bringing traffic misery to the Santa Clarita Valley. Detours from the primary north-south freeway link between Southern and Northern California also occur during snowstorms, fog, flooding and road work, repeating the scenario ad nauseam with miles of snarled traffic both on the freeway and along the deteriorating side road.
• Dagget Ag Station (FB). The third Agricultural Inspection Station on U.S. 66 was built east of the Daggett Marine Corps Base and opened to traffic in July 1952 replacing the former one that was located in Daggett, just west of Yermo Road. A separate two-story building was also built which included restroom facilities for travelers, a conference room, and many storage rooms.
• Marin road safety projects get $7.5M from state (Marin Independent Journal). The California Transportation Commission has allocated $7.5 million for road improvement work in Marin County. The commission announced the funding last week as part of a $930 million, four-year investment plan across the state. A plan to repair and upgrade Tiburon Boulevard from the Highway 101 interchange to Main Street in Tiburon is getting a $4.4 million infusion. The commission also approved $1.7 million to support the construction of a retaining wall against the hill on the north side of Tiburon Boulevard east of Trestle Glen Boulevard, and $1.4 million for road repair on Highway 1 near Tomales. Caltrans is leading the projects.
• Editorial: Richmond Bridge bike lane compromise raises questions (Marin Independent Journal). After a five-year trial and paltry results, the bike lane on the upper deck of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge is getting a second look. Some $20 million later, Bay Area and state transportation planners are considering pivoting to a different scheme, one that removes the bike lane four days a week so that space can be used for bridge maintenance crews. How that is going to make life better for the 40,000 motorists stuck in traffic getting on the westbound deck is perplexing. For the few bike riders who have pedaled across the bridge during this costly trial, the lane would be reopened to them Friday through Sunday.

• Caltrans releases rendering of roundabout for highways 121 and 116 (Sonoma News). Caltrans and Sonoma County Transportation Authority will break ground on April 4 on a roundabout at the intersection of State Route 121 and State Route 116 in Schellville. The goal of the project is to decrease traffic congestion, reduce accidents and improve access for pedestrians and bicyclists. Completion of the project is scheduled for spring 2026, according to Caltrans
• Groundbreaking for Mar Vista Highway 1 Crossing (TPG, Inc.). The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission announces a groundbreaking Thursday, April 11, for the Highway 1 auxiliary lanes and bus on shoulder from Bay Avenue/Porter Street to State Park Drive and the Mar Vista freeway overcrossing for people on foot and bicyclists. The groundbreaking will be at Resurrection Church,7600 Soquel Drive, Aptos. This is the last part of a $94.2 million project aiming to reduce traffic congestion on Highway 1, which is the connector from for people traveling from Santa Cruz to  Watsonville. Funding sources are: $22.5 million from Measure D local sales funds and $76.3 million in state funds.
• The prettiest road in Northern California you’ve never heard of (SF Gate). Unless you’re from Humboldt County or you’ve traveled extensively in California, you probably haven’t heard of Scenic Drive. A 300-mile journey north of San Francisco, this short but astounding coastal road isn’t advertised anywhere, but really, it should be famous. The narrow, crumbling lane snakes along the dramatic California coastline, extending down from wind-whipped Trinidad to boulder-strewn Moonstone Beach. Stops include hidden, platinum-sand beaches flanked by verdant forests and rocky headlands, and unspeakably lovely viewpoints spotlighting a vast, crashing ocean, dotted with sea stacks and teeming with marine life. When the drive is done, there’s a mashed potato waffle cone waiting, and it can be loaded with various meats.
• California Investing Nearly $1 Billion in Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure Over Next Four Years (edhat Santa Barbara). Caltrans will spend approximately $930 million over the next four years to improve bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure throughout the state, according to a plan approved by the California Transportation Commission (CTC) this week. This includes 265 miles of new and improved bike lanes on state highways and the addition of more than 1,300 safety elements by mid-2028. The CTC also approved a series of transportation projects totaling approximately $1 billion in continuing a historic push to improve the vital transportation infrastructure through rural and urban projects throughout the state.
• Carlsbad moving forward with plan to realign Highway 101 away from beach (Fox 5 San Diego). The city of Carlsbad is charging ahead with a plan to relocate a segment of a historic boulevard amid rising sea levels and heightened flooding concerns. Last week, the city’s Beach Preservation Commission voted unanimously to recommend realigning a one-mile stretch of the coastal Highway 101, also known as Carlsbad Boulevard, in an all-encompassing approach referred to as “retreat now.” The alternative would have been a phased approach where changes would be made to the impacted roadway, which runs from Manzano Drive in the north to Island Way in the south, incrementally over a 96-year period.
• SR-94/125 Open House (FB/District 11). You’re invited to the SR-94/125 Open House in the City of La Mesa on Tuesday, April 16 from 6pm-7pm. Meet with representatives to discuss the current and future project phases including auxiliary lanes and the connector ramp.
• ＄ Repairs begin this week on collapsed lane in Big Sur (Los Angeles Times). Stabilization efforts are expected to begin this week on a stretch of Highway 1 in Big Sur where a portion of the roadway crumbled into the ocean last month — temporarily stranding tourists and residents along the scenic Central Coast. Since the collapse last month, travel has been severely limited for hundreds of residents now living between two sections of highway damaged by a series of landslides. After installing some safety rails this weekend near the latest slip-out, California Department of Transportation officials said Monday that teams were staging equipment and finalizing plans to begin more extensive work this week.
• 101 Freeway to close overnight for weeks while crews build wildlife crossing (Fox 11 Los Angeles). Portions of the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills will be closed overnight for several weeks, as crews work to build a highly-anticipated wildlife crossing. Beginning April 15, crews were worked overnight between Chesebro Road and Liberty Canyon Road to continue construction on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing will be a bridge for animals going over the freeway, just west of Liberty Canyon Road. Caltrans says the crossing will be the largest in the nation. The highway separates the Santa Monica Mountains to the south from the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains to the north, which are home to many species.
• Groundbreaking for State Route 116-121 Roundabout in Sonoma (Caltrans). A groundbreaking ceremony celebrating the commencement of construction of a roundabout to replace the existing four-way stop intersection at the junction of State Routes 116 and 121, considered a gateway to Sonoma County Wine Country. The project includes bicycle lanes and sidewalks in a location currently devoid of such features. A Park and Ride lot will be relocated from the center of the current intersection to the north side of the new roundabout.
• Roundabout To Improve Busy Sonoma County Junction At Highways 116/121 (Sonoma Valley, CA Patch). Work is set to start on a roundabout project where state Highways 116 and 121 intersect southwest of the city of Sonoma. Caltrans and the Sonoma County Transportation Authority held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for the nearly $27 million project to replace a four-way stop intersection with a roundabout. As traffic has increased at this junction of State Routes 116 and 121 and Bonneau Road, it has been accompanied by increased congestion and broadside collisions. To make it safer for the traveling public, Caltrans and the SCTA studied two alternatives and chose the roundabout over a signalized intersection.
• State Route 33 Intersection Improvement Project (Caltrans). The City of Newman was awarded project funding through RSTP and CMAQ programs for the ultimate build out of this project. After project funding was secured, the intersection underwent an evaluation process to determine the improvement alternative that best fit the project location. The alternatives evaluated included: (*) Intersection signalization (*) Construction of a single lane roundabout (*) Maintaining the existing stop sign controlled configuration. The Intersection signalization alternative was selected as the best fit for the project location out of the 3 alternatives evaluated.
• Major Bay Area highway project started 13 years ago to reach milestone (SF Gate). A Bay Area construction project to fix one of the region’s worst choke points on a major highway is expected to reach a big milestone this week, officials said. A new section of southbound Highway 101 between Novato and Petaluma is poised to open to traffic at 6 a.m., April 12, as part of the so-called “Narrows Project” designed to widen a 16-mile-long section of Highway 101 through Marin and Sonoma counties, Caltrans said. This adjustment of the highway is a part of the final phase of a construction project that started some 13 years ago.
• Part Of Highway 1 Reopens As Repairs Begin On Collapsed Portion (MSN). A portion of Highway 1 on Sunday reopened ahead of schedule as work is set to begin further south on a collapsed portion of the coastal route, according to officials. The stretch of Highway 1 between Bay Venue/Porter Street and State Park Drive reopened ahead of schedule, the California Highway Patrol said Sunday. The area was closed in March for the demolition of the Capitola Avenue overdressing as part of a larger project to construct auxiliary lanes and other improvements, Santa Cruz 511 said. Meantime, contractors on Monday are set to begin repairing the storm damage to Highway 1. Daily convoys are expected to continue the site of the Rocky Creek slip out between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., which will allow area residents and essential employees to access the area closed to other traffic.
• New Federal Grant to Help Protect Highway 37 from Flooding (Headlines of Today). The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) last week approved a $20 million grant to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to help the Resilient State Route 37 partners — which include MTC, Caltrans, the California State Transportation Agency, the California Natural Resources Agency, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, SMART and the county transportation agencies in Marin, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties — implement improvements to reduce the risk of roadway flooding and inundation along the 10-mile stretch of Highway 37 between Sears Point in Sonoma County and Mare Island in Vallejo.
• Oakland-Pittsburg Road Link Opens (Historic) (FB/Mark Harrigan). Highway/freeway updates on this date April 11th 1956. The corridor roadways were in constant flux from the mid 50’s through the 60’s. Lafayette Sun, LHS archives
• ＄ 101 Freeway to be partly shut for Agoura Hills wildlife crossing work (Los Angeles Times). Caltrans will close half of the 101 Freeway starting next week in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills. All lanes in one direction will be closed at a time, starting Monday with the southbound lanes, according to the California Department of Transportation. The lanes will be closed each night for five hours starting at 11:59 p.m. Monday through Friday. The bridge will be the largest wildlife crossing of its kind and is aimed at saving a threatened population of mountain lions. Experts estimate that more than 500 mountain lions have been killed on California highways over the last eight years, a rate that scientists suggest may exceed the reproductive rate of the animals.
• ＄ ‘Narrows’ project on Highway 101 nears new milestone (Press Democrat). Work on the notorious 16-mile stretch of Highway 101 between Petaluma and Novato known as “The Narrows” is about to hit a new milestone, Caltrans announced – but first a ”traffic shift“ must take place as crews link up old and new parts of the highway. Crews will be performing “paving and K-rail adjustment work leading to a traffic shift … in both directions from Novato near Olive Avenue to San Antonio Road,” the agency said in a news release. Although announced for Thursday, April 11, the agency noted that “specific times and dates and nighttime ramp closures will be announced in the coming days.” During the work, “southbound traffic will be realigned away from the temporary median lanes, into the newly constructed Southbound U.S. 101 road section. That section has been raised to match the median that was opened back in June 2023.” In addition, “northbound U.S. 101 traffic will be realigned into those same temporary median lanes now moving in the opposite direction, as the next phase of construction begins to reconstruct the old northbound road section.”
• Federal grant to help protect Highway 37 from flooding (The Bay Link Blog). The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has approved a $20 million grant to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to help the Resilient State Route 37(link is external) partners implement improvements to reduce the risk of roadway flooding and inundation along the 10-mile stretch of Highway 37 between Sears Point in Sonoma County and Mare Island in Vallejo. The partners include MTC, Caltrans, the California State Transportation Agency, the California Natural Resources Agency, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, SMART and the county transportation agencies in Marin, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.
• Highway 1 slip-out stabilization will be done by Memorial Day, Caltrans says (KSBW). The initial repairs to stabilize the edge of Highway 1 south of Rocky Creek Bridge will be completed by May 27, said Caltrans. However, Caltrans said that excessive winds, rain or any construction site condition changes could delay work.  Initial work will be followed by a longer phase of the work. Caltrans will drill, install and grout horizontal rock dowels. Then, when the reinforcing dowels are in place, crews will “install reinforced shotcrete to the vertical face of the repair to help stabilize the roadway along the cliffside,” said Caltrans.
• ＄ Opinion: California’s epic commutes: the 10 to the 86 to the 111 to the 8 …  (Los Angeles Times). During the fierce February rainstorms, I had to drive from Riverside to Santa Barbara and back. Flooding was everywhere, and on my way home, I took an alternate route. I started off on the 101, then turned onto Highway 126 through the beauty of Santa Paula and Fillmore, the clouds massive and purple, to the 5 in Castaic, then onto the 14 along the edge of the Angeles National Forest. Finally I turned east on 138, the Pearblossom Highway. The roadway was full of commuters, but as we skirted Mt. San Antonio, covered with snow, and the late-afternoon sun came shining through cholla cacti and Joshua trees, I thought, where else could I see this — snowfall and golden desert? Of course, it took forever to get home to Riverside. On the 215, I dropped down the Cajon Pass, which always reminds me that thousands of pioneers navigated that steep grade with wagon wheels. The 215 teems with drivers and memories of all the stories told by my parents, my in-laws and the countless others who arrived in Southern California along old Route 66.
• Update! State Route 37 to close for four weekends starting April 19th (City of Sonoma). Starting from April 19, 2024, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is set to initiate a significant pavement repair project on State Route-37 (SR-37) between State Route-29 in Vallejo and State Route-121 in Sonoma. This project will necessitate full closures of the highway for 55 hours on consecutive weekends*, including April 19, April 26, May 3, and May 10, 2024. The closures will commence each Friday at 9:00 PM. Details: Caltrans has announced a crucial pavement repair undertaking on SR-37, spanning Solano and Sonoma counties, starting April 12, 2024. Over four consecutive weekends, the department will conduct comprehensive repair work on both eastbound and westbound lanes of SR-37. Each weekend, one direction of traffic on SR-37 will be closed entirely for 55 hours. These closures are essential for the completion of the repair project.
• ＄ Once Highway 1 stabilized at Rocky Creek, traffic can return to Big Sur  (Orange County Register). Work on the Rocky Creek slip-out of Highway 1 continues to be focused on stabilizing the edge of the roadway because once that is done a temporary signal system will be installed, opening up the roadway to unrestricted traffic under one-way traffic control and providing vital visitor and business flow to the Big Sur area. When the edge stabilization work will be complete should be determined sometime later this week, according to Caltrans. But with rain in the forecast for Saturday, Caltrans will be suspending the twice-daily convoys to and from the Big Sur area restricted to locals and essential workers only. That information was made available at the County of Monterey news briefing on Wednesday.
• Feds contributing another $20 million toward fixing State Route 37 (NorCal Public Media). Ambitious short and long term plans to shore up State Route 37 against rising seas moved closer to breaking ground this week. On Tuesday, congressman Mike Thompson and John Garamendi, who represents an area stretching from Solano County to the Delta, announced that $20 million in new federal highway money will be earmarked toward the highway, which connects US 101 in Novato with Interstate 80 in Vallejo. Urgent work on the seemingly perpetually clogged highway with its two lane segments will help reduce flooding and shore up subsiding soil beneath the road to stop it from sinking further, among other work.
• ＄ Caltrans seeks comment on plan to reopen Highway 39 in forest after 46 years (Daily Bulletin). It has been 46 years since a landslide damaged a 4.4-mile chunk of State Highway 39, a highway ordered built by President Eisenhower in 1957. But the landslide severed the mountain road’s junction with State Highway 2 and turned Highway 39 into a dead end. After several starts and stops, Caltrans in 2022 announced it was once again considering reopening the two-lane highway that runs from the San Gabriel Valley floor through the Angeles National Forest to its closure about 27 miles north of Azusa and northwest of Crystal Lake. Caltrans held scoping meetings, listened to comments, studied the environmental effects, and on Tuesday, it will conduct its first in-person public meeting on the project.
• More than $2 million approved for projects in Mendocino County  (Fort Bragg Advocate-News). California is investing “nearly $1 billion in bicycle and pedestrian Infrastructure over the next four years,” including more than $2 million in two Mendocino County projects, the California Department of Transportation reported. According to a Caltrans press release, the agency will “spend approximately $930 million over the next four years to improve bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure throughout the state, according to a plan approved by the California Transportation Commission” recently, which “includes 265 miles of new and improved bike lanes on state highways.” […] The projects in Mendocino County include:
• Caltrans seeks comment on plan to reopen Highway 39 in forest after 46 years (MSN). It has been 46 years since a landslide damaged a 4.4-mile chunk of State Highway 39, a highway ordered built by President Eisenhower in 1957. But the landslide severed the mountain road’s junction with State Highway 2 and turned Highway 39 into a dead end. After several starts and stops, Caltrans in 2022 announced it was once again considering reopening the two-lane highway that runs from the San Gabriel Valley floor through the Angeles National Forest to its closure about 27 miles north of Azusa and northwest of Crystal Lake. Caltrans held scoping meetings, listened to comments, studied the environmental effects, and on Tuesday, it will conduct its first in-person public meeting on the project.
• Caltrans taps Teichert for initial $1M Highway 1 response (Construction Dive). The California Department of Transportation has awarded a $1 million emergency contract to Sacramento-based Teichert for initial safety and stabilization work on a washout that shut down a section of iconic Highway 1 near Big Sur last weekend. A Caltrans spokesperson said the initial funding amount is likely to increase to account for the first phase of site stabilization. After being pounded by up to 2 inches of rain per hour on Friday, a portion of the southbound lane high above the Pacific Ocean gave way Saturday, leaving a vehicle-sized chunk missing from the road’s outer edge. Caltrans closed the route, and at least 1,600 people were temporarily stranded in the area as engineers assessed the situation.
• Watch: Girder lowered into place on 101 Freeway wildlife crossing  (NBC Los Angeles). Construction of a freeway wildlife crossing designed to preserve Southern California’s mountain lions and other animals reached a significant milestone. Construction crews installed the first girder that will support the crossing’s horizontal span across the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills. The giant girder was lifted into place overnight on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, a greenspace bridge in Liberty Canyon near Agoura Hills.
• ＄ Progress made on three Big Sur Highway 1 landslides (Daily News). The three landslides on Highway 1 south of the slip-out near Rocky Creek Bridge continue making progress on Caltrans’s road to reopening roadway between the Monterey Peninsula and the San Luis Obispo County line later this year. With another rainy weekend in the books for the area, Caltrans District 5 spokesperson Kevin Drabinski said that no significant movement or changes occurred as a result of the past weekend’s rain event at the Rocky Creek slip-out — post mile 60. Repairs there continue, as do the twice-daily convoys, as Caltrans continues its work toward a Memorial Day opening of one-way, signalized traffic control at that point. For now, Caltrans crews continue to make progress with repairs at the other three major slides on Highway 1.
• 101 Freeway closures begin Monday night for new wildlife crossing (KTLA 5). Closures on the 101 Freeway through Agoura Hills begin Monday night for the next phase of what is being described as the world’s largest wildlife crossing. All lanes on the freeway will be shut down for several hours each night between Chesebro Road and Liberty Canyon Road so crews can lift dozens of concrete beams that will form the skeleton of the crossing. Caltrans posted Sunday night that the closures will take place Monday through Friday between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. for the next several weeks.
• Stretch of southbound SR-125 in Lemon Grove area to close this weekend (ABC 10 News). A stretch of state Route 125 in the Lemon Grove area will be closed through the weekend due to repairs. Caltrans officials stated all southbound SR-125 lanes are closing starting 9 p.m. Friday (April 12) through 4 a.m. on Monday (April 15). The lane closures are in effect for a Caltrans concrete slab replacement project, with the designated work area on SR-125 near Jamacha Road in Spring Valley.
• Caltrans improving safety for vital roadway near Yosemite National Park (MSN/FOX40). Caltrans will be conducting a nearly $1.5 million roadway safety improvement project along State Route 120 after a significant rockslide closed a section of the roadway in February, according to a news release from Caltrans District 10. The project will take place east of Groveland and include significant work to stabilize the embankment.  “The work is imperative to ensure the safety of the traveling public and to prevent catastrophic embankment failure that could close the highway,” Caltrans wrote in their news release. Construction will begin on April 15 along with one-way traffic from Sweetwater Campground to Sawmill Mountain Road. Drivers can expect a 10 to 15-minute delay in this area.
• Public input sought on mural set for California Ave, Highway 99 (bakersfield.com). As planning for the first phase of the Intersections mural comes to an end, the Arts Council of Kern needs the public’s input on the design. A partnership with Caltrans under a Clean California local grant, the Intersections mural project was announced last June. When completed, it will include three murals — at Garces Circle, Q Street and Route 204, and California Avenue and Highway 99 — as well as nine electrical boxes along Union Avenue.
• Biden administration allots $20M for Highway 37 project (Marin Independent Journal). A major project to overhaul a flood-prone section of Highway 37 has received $20 million from the Biden administration. The Federal Highway Administration funding is part of a $58.9 million allocation in grants supporting six projects in California designed to strengthen roads against the worsening effects of climate change. Nearly $830 million in grant awards will be disbursed nationwide. The funding is being awarded to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the regional planning agency working on a $430 million to widen a 10-mile stretch of Highway 37 between Sears Point and Mare Island.
• Here’s how drivers are handling California’s first turbo roundabout (SF Gate). The first “turbo roundabout” in California, which was installed at a notoriously dangerous intersection near Gilroy, has had mixed results since it opened earlier this year. Caltrans built the three-lane roundabout at the intersection of highways 25 and 156 to try to cut down on collisions while maintaining traffic efficiency. The turbo design — first created in the Netherlands in the 1990s — has multiple lanes with raised dividers, instead of painted lines, meant to funnel drivers to their desired exit safely.
• Caltrans offers discouraging update on Topanga Canyon (KTLA 5). A large section of Topanga Canyon Boulevard will likely remain closed until the fall as Caltrans works to clear a massive landslide that buried the scenic road and continues to pose a safety risk, officials acknowledged on Thursday. The slide occurred on March 9 during an intense rainstorm that caused flooding and mudslides in many areas of Southern California, including Los Angeles County. State Road 27 was immediately closed from Grand View Drive to Pacific Coast Highway. Caltrans estimates that 9.2 million pounds of earth, or 4,600 tons, gave way just south of the town of Topanga, sending a wall of dirt, rocks and debris onto the road. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
• ＄ Big Sur’s latest damage not linked to larger landslide, USGS finds (Los Angeles Times). Federal geologists blame the latest collapse of Highway 1 in Big Sur on a relatively common rockfall caused by weather, waves and gravity that eventually cracked the steep cliffside beneath the roadway, according to a new analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey. The good news is that researchers didn’t see a larger landslide at work, which would suggest greater instability in the surrounding area. The bad news is that it’s an ongoing challenge to predict where and when another rockfall could happen along Highway 1 — the stretch of highway that the USGS considers most vulnerable to coastal erosion in California.
• Elephants on the Road (FB/Fossil Discovery Center of Madera). If you haven’t seen them yet, there are now Columbian Mammoths on SR-99 at exits 179 and 176 (Plainsburg road and Le grand road).
  Credit goes to Caltrans, District 10 and the Madera County Arts Council for erecting these beautiful silhouettes. A great view on your way to the Fossil Discovery Center of Madera County.
• California’s Highway 49: How it got its name (ABC 10). Highway 49 runs through historic mining towns like Nevada City, Auburn, Placerville and Grass Valley. Holly Thane is an interpreter at the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, located in Coloma along Highway 49. “Highway 49 connects all these little gold rush towns through the ‘motherlode’ as we call it,” said Thane. According to Caltrans, SR-49 spans about 295 miles. It starts near Oakhurst at SR-41 and runs to Vinton at SR-70. It says the part of the highway going from Sonora to Auburn was officially designated as the “Mother Lode Highway” in Chapter 839 of the Statutes of 1921. The highway also goes by another name.
• Controversial California highway expansion project hits air quality snag (E&E News by POLITICO). A hot-button highway expansion project hit another snag Tuesday after federal regulators told state and local officials they aren’t ready to sign off on a crucial air quality analysis. Officials from EPA and the Federal Highway Administration declined to endorse an environmental analysis for the controversial Yolo 80 project at a hearing hosted by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, the body tasked with developing the region’s transportation plan. That’s a major blow for Caltrans and local officials, who’ve maintained the proposal to add express toll lanes on the stretch of highway from Sacramento to Davis won’t increase vehicle miles traveled and should be classified as a project that doesn’t raise air quality concerns.
• ＄ Fake Tags Add to Real Chaos on American Roads (The New York Times). After hearing complaints about streets filled with cars with expired temporary license tags, the mayor of St. Charles, Mo., invited his constituents to send in photos of bad plates. He received more than 4,100 in a year — from a city of about 71,000 people. A Washington, D.C., Council member wants to make it easier for officials to tow cars with expired tags, saying the proliferation of them around town “makes my community members crazy.” Texas will soon require dealerships to issue temporary metal plates when a car rolls off the lot, replacing the oft-abused paper tags.
• A Quick Look at Building the Redwood Highway North of Garberville (Redheaded Blackbelt). In 1932, the California State Highway Commission set aside over a  million dollars to fix or build roads in Humboldt County. The largest project focusing on the Benbow and Garberville section of what was then called the Redwood Highway but is now known as Hwy 101. The road from Benbow to seven miles north of Garberville underwent extensive work, including relocation, grading, and surfacing, with an estimated cost of $575,800, according to the Blue Lake Advocate.
• Golden State Boulevard in central Fresno to be permanently closed (ABC30 Fresno). Several road closures and changes may be impacting your drives in Fresno. Starting Monday, Golden State Boulevard between Belmont and Olive in Central Fresno will permanently close. It’s due to a High-Speed Rail grade separation project. The city says drivers will need to use an alternate route like Highway 99 or Marks Avenue.
• Caltrans To Begin Traffic Safety Improvement Project On State Route 12 / Kettleman Lane In Lodi (Caltrans). Caltrans is preparing to begin a traffic safety improvement project to help reduce traffic incidents for motorists while improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians on State Route 12 (SR-12)/Kettleman Lane between Westgate Drive and Cherokee Lane in the city of Lodi. Work will include the removal of existing pavement delineation (traffic stripes and markers) and the installation of new roadway surface markings including; traffic lane striping, turn arrows, bike lane striping and pedestrian crossings.
• Major Road Project Begins Near Groveland (myMotherLode.com). The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has begun construction efforts aimed at stabilizing an embankment along State Route 120, located east of Groveland. With completion slated for June, the upcoming construction phase will involve the continued removal of loose earth, replacement of K-rail barriers with substantial boulders, and the implementation of a water collection system atop the embankment to redirect water away from the compromised area. Scheduled work hours are set from Mondays through Thursdays, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Fridays from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Motorists traveling on Highway 120 between Sweetwater Campground and Sawmill Mountain Road should anticipate 10-to-15-minute delays due to one-way traffic control measures.
• ＄ Topanga Canyon still closed by landslide, won’t be cleared for months (Los Angeles Times). A massive landslide covering a large section of Topanga Canyon Boulevard still poses a safety risk and may not be cleared until fall, the California Department of Transportation  said. Recent storms further saturated the unstable hillside, Caltrans officials said. Water has been seeping beneath the dirt, mud and rocks — an indication that the land may move again. That is particularly concerning, officials said, because a large boulder sitting about 10 feet high has developed a crack that is 5 to 10 feet wide.
• Highway 70 closed in Plumas County due to rockslides (KCRA). Highway 70 is closed in Plumas County as crews work to clear rockslides, according to the California Department of Transportation. The highway is closed between Jarbo Gap and Greenville Wye. Caltrans said approximately 2,300 yards of rock need to be removed. The agency said there is no estimated time for reopening.
• Caltrans battles with extreme rockslides along SR-70 (Yahoo News/FOX40). Clearing thousands of cubic feet of boulders and soil from State Route 70 within the Feather River Canyon has become a common occurrence for Caltrans crews in charge of the roadway. Since January 22, Caltrans District 3 and Caltrans District 2 have been clearing at least one medium to large-scale rockslide or landslide every month.Caltrans District 2 and District 3 are responsible for their own portions of the state route.
• I-10 Desert Rehab (FB/I-10 Desert Rehab). New eastbound I-10 lanes are scheduled to be opened later this week! Newly paved eastbound lanes will include improved roadway striping, new guardrail systems, and new eastbound Cactus City Rest Area on- and off-ramps! Stay tuned for more details!
• With pavement quality going south, Caltrans to expedite repairs on eastbound Highway 12 (Local News Matters). Eastbound state Highway 12 in Santa Rosa will have full and partial closures starting this Friday through Monday next week to expedite pavement replacement operations, Caltrans said. The closures will begin at 8 p.m. April 19 and continue through 5 a.m. April 22, according to the agency. Caltrans said it will alternate partial and full closures of eastbound State Route 12 in Santa Rosa between the Dutton Avenue exit and the South E Street exit.
• San Rafael traffic project to relieve persistent clot (Marin I-J). Plans are underway to widen a troubled chokepoint linking Highway 101 and Interstate 580 in San Rafael. The Bellam Boulevard offramp, where local traffic converges with commuters headed to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, will be expanded from three lanes to four. The Transportation Authority of Marin’s executive committee, which oversees administration, projects and planning, voted unanimously this month to recommend approval of a host actions, including the allocation of $4 million of sales tax dollars and $1.16 million of gas tax funds. The agency’s board is expected to approve the allocation at its meeting Thursday along with a $7.2 million contract with the county to administer the construction of the project.
• Carlsbad planning to move portion of Highway 101 inland (CBS 8 San Diego). A major change is in the works for a section of Highway 101 in Carlsbad, also known as Carlsbad Boulevard. The Carlsbad City Council is discussing plans to move the roadway to inland as sea levels rise. Coastal erosion is posing a threat to Carlsbad Boulevard. Residents said waves are known to crash onto some areas of the road during high tide.  The city is considering rerouting the road from Manzano Drive to Island Way. Right now a median separates the north and southbound lanes. The new project would put the lanes next to each other along with cycling and pedestrian pathways.
• Caltrans to Begin Pavement Improvement Project on State Route 140 from Cathey’s Valley to Mariposa (Sierra Sun Times). The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is preparing to begin a maintenance project that will improve the roadway surface of State Route 140 (SR-140) between Cathey’s Valley and Mariposa. Work will include the repair of roadway surface locations using hot-mix asphalt, along with the removal and installation of new guardrails, culverts, dikes, shoulder backing, signage, and at seven intersection corners curb ramps will be upgraded to meet current ADA standards. Overnight, alternating lane closures on eastbound and westbound SR-140, will be required for the safety of motorists, roadway workers and equipment.
• Caltrans To Host Public Hearing On New Rules To Sell Vacant Homes In 710 Extension Corridor (MSN). The meeting will be held at South Pasadena High School from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Why now: The proposed rules are meant to replace emergency regulations that will expire by the end of September. Those emergency rules, adopted last year, amended the 1979 Roberti Act that mandated how Caltrans should release the properties they owned in the 710 corridor to supply more affordable housing to the area. The backstory: Over 70 years ago, Caltrans acquired hundreds of homes in El Sereno, Pasadena and South Pasadena as part of an effort to connect the 710 Freeway to the 210 Freeway that was later cancelled. Caltrans owns 100 vacant single-family and multifamily homes along the 710 corridor and more than half of the vacant homes are in the process of being sold. Current renters have received a Notice of Solicitation from the agency to buy the homes they are renting.
• INVESTIGATES: Caltrans admits to missing critical step on new Centennial Corridor (MSN). The multi-million dollar Centennial Corridor interchange plan began in 2006 by former Bakersfield Congressman Bill Thomas. His goal was for Highway 58 to be connected to the Westside Parkway and Interstate 5. It would also include a flyover to connect northbound Highway 99 to the Centennial Corridor, eventually cutting travel times for many. However, after the rollout of the 15-year-long project, dozens of people flooded our social media accounts unhappy with the project.
• Pasadena Confronts Murky History of 710 Freeway Displacements (Pasadena Now). Efforts play out to determine the future of a 50-acre tract once envisioned as the path of an extension of the 710 Freeway, City officials are grappling with a lack of detailed records about how the state acquired hundreds of properties decades ago, often through a process known as “hardship acquisition.” The missing historical data presents a challenge for a city-appointed task force charged with assessing the fairness of compensation provided to property owners displaced by the aborted freeway project and developing recommendations for how to utilize the land, which has sat largely vacant since the 1970s. “There are no records kept by the state about the properties purchased via hardship acquisition,” Elysha Palusek, a consultant with the historical resources firm ARG, told the task force at a recent meeting. “We are obtaining that information as much as possible via other means.”
• Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills making steady progress (ABC7 Los Angeles). Caltrans is making steady progress on the wildlife crossing over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills. The agency shared a video update, saying 14 girders have been placed over the southbound lanes. But there’s still a long way to go — more than 80 girders need to be installed. Overnight lane closures continue during the workweek.
• Map Shows New California High-Speed Rail Routes (Newsweek).A series of maps show the full extent of California’s proposed high-speed rail routes that would provide an efficient and quick way of travel between the state’s major cities. Renewed interest has surfaced in high-speed rail travel after Brightline West, a new all-electric, 218-mile rail line bringing passengers from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Rancho Cucamonga, California, broke ground on Monday after construction was delayed for several years. The project is expected to be completed before the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The California High-Speed Rail Authority has another rail line planned that would provide a trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles in less than three hours, but progress has been slow.
• Caltrans Set To Hold Meeting To Give Updates On Interstate 5 Bridges (SF Gate). A meeting will be held next month in Stockton to discuss and give updates on the Stockton Channel Viaduct Project regarding Interstate Highway 5 bridges. Caltrans, who is handling the project, said the purpose is to replace the northbound and southbound Stockton Channel Viaduct bridges on I-5. The meeting, set to be held at the Haggin Museum in Stockton on May 7 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., will cover topics that include the current status of the project, the progress and accomplishments so far, the updated timeline to start the construction, and plans for traffic mitigation.
• SB Roads provides construction update for ongoing Highway 101 renovations (News Channel 3-12). The SB Roads organization provided an update to its latest ongoing renovation project on Highway 101 set to take place starting Monday until May 11. The following information comes from an SB Roads press release:
• ＄ 92/101 connector lane effort resumes (San Mateo Daily Journal). Peninsula residents and employees could see an additional lane connecting State Route 92 and the Highway 101 express lane in the future, triggering discussions over whether the effort would reduce overall congestion or backfire by encouraging more workers — particularly from the East Bay — to drive. The highly-trafficked San Mateo intersection largely comprises commuters heading to or from the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, subsequently taking Highway 101 and often State Route 92 to get to work. But the latter, primarily a one- to two-lane highway in each direction — at least on the Peninsula — is a congestion hotspot, and efforts on how to quell traffic at the interchange have been discussed on and off for about 10 years.
• Rocky Peak Offramp/The Pass Club (FB/Valley Relics Museum). Photograph article dated October 14, 1963 partially reads, “Santa Susana Pass, once a gambling place for early Native Americans, has found new life as a gambling spot for modern-day Valley residents. Motorists threading their way through the narrow pass road seldom notice The Pass Club. It’s only an ace from the Los Angeles County line and is one of six card rooms licensed by Ventura County. Others are scattered in various parts of the county, including Camarillo and Ventura.”
• Seeing orange and white lines on the freeway? Here’s what they mean (KTLA). Transportation officials in Southern California are testing a new way to get drivers to slow down in construction zones, and — based on early results — they say it’s working. The Caltrans pilot program began on the 5 Freeway in northern San Diego County, where drivers began encountering orange and white lane striping through the Build North County Corridor Project in late 2021. The $987 million project is adding carpool/High-Occupancy Vehicle lanes in both directions of the freeway between Highway 78 in Oceanside and Lomas Santa Fe Drive in Solana Beach, an area prone to heavy traffic backups.
• Pain point on California’s Highway 101 getting a roundabout (SF Gate). San Luis Obispo County officials hope a new roundabout project will decrease traffic congestion at a gnarled intersection. On April 26, the county Public Works Department, Caltrans and others broke ground at what will become the Avila Beach Drive roundabout. The county expects the $13 million project to shorten wait times in the busy area as well as provide a safer road experience for pedestrians and cyclists. “What we’re going to have here is going to enormously improve and change this area of Highway 101 and the Avila Beach intersection in a way that will be so transformational,” county Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg said in a statement.
• Closures planned for Highway 1 in Santa Cruz County (MSN). Caltrans announced that there will be closures beginning on Monday to continue work to build north and south auxiliary lanes and bus-on-shoulder improvements on Highway 1 between 41st Avenue and Soquel Drive. Overnight work is scheduled to begin on Monday and end on Thursday from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. The number 2 lane will closed on Highway 1 near Soquel Drive as will the southbound on-ramp at Soquel Drive. Daytime work is scheduled to begin on Tuesday through Friday, May 3 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Drivers will see a closure of the North 41st on-ramp to Highway 1.
• How SF Great Highway could join California Coastal Trail (SF Examiner). A portion of San Francisco’s Great Highway could become part of the state’s network of coastal trails, complete with a pedestrian plaza, seating and other amenities. The Land Use and Transportation Committee unanimously approved a proposal Monday that would close a portion of Great Highway — beginning at Sloat Boulevard and extending south for roughly 3,300 feet — to private vehicles in an effort to improve shoreline resilience to climate change. A mile-long multiuse trail would be constructed alongside new parking, restrooms and ADA-compliant beach access. Additionally, a partially below-ground retaining wall would be built to protect the west side’s existing wastewater and recycled-water infrastructure from coastal erosion and rising sea levels.

Gribblenation Blog (Tom Fearer)

• Madera County Road 600 and the post-1886 Yosemite Stage Road. Madera County Road 600 is an approximately thirty-mile-long highway located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Road 600 begins at California State Route 49 near Ahwahnee and terminates to the south at Avenue 21. Road 600 historically was part of the Washburn Brothers Yosemite Stage Road to the Wawona Hotel and Yosemite Valley. Major waypoints along Road 600 include the ghost town of Grub Gulch and historic railroad terminus of Raymond.
• The EddieWorld of Interstate 15 and Calico Road. EddieWorld as the writing of this blog is comprised of only two gas station convenience store locations. The original EddieWorld can be found in Beatty, Nevada along US Route 95. The original EddieWorld was established by Ed Ringle during 2001 as the Death Valley Nut and Candy Company. The original EddieWorld location caters to travelers between Las Vegas-Reno and features one of the largest stations/convenience stores between the two cities.
• Legacy of US Route 466 Part 5: Old Highway 58 through North Barstow. Old Highway 58 is a relinquished portion of what was once US Route 466 in the North Barstow area. US Route 466 served the North Barstow area from 1933 until it was truncated to Baker during June 1964. The segment would become the easternmost portion of California State Route 58 which remained as an active highway until 1996 when freeway south of downtown Barstow opened. Old Highway 58 has numerous remaining Caltrans signs and more or less functions as an alternative northern bypass of downtown Barstow.
• Caliente-Bodfish Road. Caliente-Bodish Road is one of the finest driving roads in the southern Sierra Nevada range and has rich history. The approximately thirty-two-mile-long highway connects from Kern River Road in Bodfish south to Bena Road (former US Route 466) via Caliente siding. Caliente-Bodfish Road is a segment of Thomas Baker’s stage road which facilitated overland travel to the claims of the Kern River Gold Rush. The Baker Stage Road was constructed during the 1860s-1870s and spanned from the outskirts of Caliente north to the Stockton-Los Angeles Road near Tailholt in Tulare County. The blog cover photo is from the nine-mile segment north of Caliente Creek Road which is known as the “Lion’s Trail.” Caliente-Bodish Road carries the internal designation of Kern County Road 483.
• Madera County Road 400 and the 1882-1886 Yosemite Stage Road. Madera County Road 400 is an approximately twenty-four-mile roadway following the course of the Fresno River in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Road 400 begins at California State Route 145 near Madera and terminates to the north at Road 415 near Coarsegold. Traditionally Road 400 was known as “River Road” prior to Madera County dropping naming conventions on county highways. Road 400 was part of the original Yosemite Stage Route by the Washburn Brothers which began in 1882. The Yosemite Stage Route would be realigned to the west in 1886 along what is now Road 600 to a rail terminus in Raymond. Parts of Road 400 were realigned in 1974 to make way for the Hensley Lake Reservoir.