Headlines About California Highways from October 2017

We survived October, some better than others. We’ve seen significant damage to our roadways and communities from fires. We’ve seen roads closed during the spring storms start to reopen. We’ve already seen roads being closed due to snow. And winter is coming folks: bringing more storms and wet weather. On the funding front, we’re starting to see the allocations show up from SB1, the increase in the gas tax to cover transportation and transportation infrastructure maintenance. We’re also seeing folks gearing up to fight the gas tax, without a proposal for how our roads will be funded. Interesting times indeed, and it doesn’t even explore how the Federal tax proposals will impact highway funding.

And you thought Halloween was scary.

But… let’s ignore it… and look at the headlines… and for those of you reading this on my blog, I got out the tools and spiffed up the place a little. I’d love to hear what you think of the remodel.

• I-680 express lanes opening Monday. After over two years of construction, the opening date for San Ramon Valley’s Interstate 680 express lanes are officially scheduled to open this Monday (Oct. 9). The $56 million project has involved converting the single high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane in each direction into a toll express lane as a tool to help reduce congestion. It includes one northbound express lane from Alcosta Boulevard in San Ramon to Livorna Road in Alamo, and one southbound express lane from Rudgear Road in Walnut Creek to Alcosta Boulevard.
• What can be done to ease southwest Riverside County traffic on the 15 Freeway?. There was a time when traffic flowed freely on the 15 Freeway. There also was a time when we used the Pony Express to send long-distance messages. And while it wasn’t 160 years ago that the 15 Freeway was without congestion, it may seem so when you’re crawling along slower than a tired pony. Temecula Councilman Mike Naggar is leading a rescue posse to do something before the traffic gets worse.
• Marin carpool lane expansion project still stalled out. Plans to expand carpool lane hours in Marin are still stuck in neutral. Last week local politicians, transportation officials and Caltrans representatives met to talk about a Metropolitan Transportation Commission plan to expand the hours from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 to 9 a.m. southbound on Highway 101 as a three-month pilot. But there remains opposition from most Marin officials, who fear the move would make traffic worse on the freeway. Caltrans — the agency with the final say — has remained non-committal. The initial MTC plan had the pilot going from October to December, but that has failed to materialize.
• Marin has four highway hot spots on traffic nightmare list. If the Novato-to-San Rafael morning commute feels like it has grown worse in recent years, it’s because it has, according to a Metropolitan Transportation Commission report. The agency released a list of the 50 most-congested corridors in the region and four locales are in Marin. The latest findings — based on 2016 traffic counts — show the morning southbound Highway 101 commute from Rowland Boulevard in Novato to North San Pedro Road in San Rafael is 15th worst in the Bay Area. The ranking was based on traffic measured from 6:40 to 10:05 a.m. Last year it was 14th. While the segment dropped in rank, the traffic got worse.

• I-680 toll lanes set to open in Walnut Creek, San Ramon Valley. All systems are go for the far left lanes on Interstate 680 between Walnut Creek and San Ramon to switch from carpool lanes to express lanes on Oct. 9. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission announced this week the conversion of what for several years have been carpool lanes into express lanes, where solo drivers can elect to pay a toll for the privilege to drive faster at some of the busiest times of the day and week. That toll varies based on real-time traffic conditions; the more traffic there is, the more it will cost.
• Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge in Big Sur to open Oct. 13. Caltrans says the new Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge will open Oct. 13, eight months after the transportation agency shut down the bridge along Highway 1 just south of Big Sur Station. “There is some bridge rail work to be done and some guard rail work to be done,” said Jim Shivers, a Caltrans spokesman.
• Caltrans targets December for Highway 1 reopening. Caltrans plans to reopen storm-damaged Highway 1 between Muir Beach and Stinson Beach by December — if the weather cooperates. “We are hoping to give the residents out there a Christmas present,” said Steve Williams, Caltrans spokesman. “But it is complicated work and we don’t know what the weather will be like.” Last winter’s record rains caused significant problems on the coastal highway. Caltrans officials said there were 17 storm-related work sites in Marin, most of those on Highway 1. The work has an estimated cost of more than $75 million.
• Dozens fill Vallejo museum to discuss possible Highway 37 improvements. Vallejo resident Martin Gewing said he usually regrets it whenever he decides to drive on Highway 37, and he’s not alone. The troubled 100-year-old road is the subject of a series of informational public events, the latest of which was held in Vallejo on Monday. “I take 37 occasionally, and I always wish I hadn’t because it’s such a nightmare,” Gewing said.
• New Big Sur bridge on Highway 1 to open soon, but iconic roadway remains shut farther south. The long-awaited replacement for Highway 1’s Pfeiffer Creek Bridge in Big Sur is slated to open Oct. 13, according to a Caltrans news release. It’s good news for travelers who will be able to drive from Carmel to Big Sur and beyond on Highway 1. However, California’s iconic coastal route remains blocked by a landslide near the town of Gorda, about 57 miles south of Big Sur.
• US 40 – The National Road. If there is a highway that can capture the early pioneer spirit of this nation, it is the National Road. America’s Original Interstate Highway, generations of Americans have followed parts of what now is US 40 on their sojourns to the west. From early Indian paths, to a federally funded route to the west, to a toll horse and wagon route, and finally into the automobile era, the National Road has served not only as a method of travel; it has also become a source of history, commerce, recreation, and exploration.
• Caltrans to discuss median, roundabout concept for Hwy 49. A new concept that could help address safety concerns along Highway 49 — which includes the installation of a concrete median barrier and roundabouts — will be presented to the public by California Department of Transportation staff Tuesday at the North Auburn Municipal Advisory Council meeting.
• Roundabout could replace stop sign at Highway 46, Vineyard Drive. The four-way stop sign and blinking red light between Cambria and Paso Robles is brand new, but it could be on its way out if a proposal to be aired Thursday, Oct. 12, is adopted. Caltrans District 5 plans a public information meeting on that proposal — which would replace the stop sign with a traffic circle — from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Vineyard Elementary School, 2121 Vineyard Drive in Templeton.
• Express lanes to help ease congestion in 680 corridor. So far, the plan to convert many of Bay Area’s carpool lanes into a 550-mile network of express lanes that allow solo drivers to buy their way in has been confined to the further reaches of the East Bay and a congested freeway interchange at the foot of the bay. That changes at 5 a.m. Monday when the I-680 Contra Costa Express lanes open on Interstate 680 through the San Ramon Valley.
• Southern Great Highway closure moves forward as SF reacts to erosion. Nearly seven years after a parking lot began to crumble into the sands of Ocean Beach, plans to address erosion and sea-level rise on San Francisco’s western shoreline are coming closer to fruition. The Planning Commission last week voted in favor of changes to the Western Shoreline Area Plan, including the closure of the southern stretch of the Great Highway and relocation of the parking lot and restrooms near Sloat Boulevard.
• Interactive Map Helps Keep Track Of 405 Work In Orange County. An interactive app has been launched by the Orange County Transportation Authority to help people know where construction is occurring on the 405 Freeway south of the Long Beach border. OCTA and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is planning a major expansion of the 405 in both directions from the connector to the 605 Freeway to the SR-73 toll road near Costa Mesa. Two lanes of traffic will be added in each direction, and an Express Lane will be created to collect tolls.
• Bay Area voters to decide whether to raise bridge tolls by $3. Bay Area voters will decide whether to raise bridge tolls to pay for more than 30 road projects that reduce traffic under a bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday. sB595 by state Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, allows voters in the nine-county Bay Area to decide whether to increase bridge tolls by up to $3. The Golden Gate Bridge would be exempted from the toll increase. Beall said the tolls would help reduce “frustrating rush-hour congestion,” with projects including the Dumbarton Corridor, Richmond-San Rafael Bridge; and new direct connectors for the Interstate 680/State Route 4 interchange.
• Roadshow: Even with new express lanes, I-580 is still a mess. Q: Eastbound Interstate 580 over the Altamont Pass has become a complete disaster. My commute has increased by 20 minutes since the additional lanes were opened, but traffic folks said the new truck lane might shave 30 minutes off this trip.
• 241 Toll Road extension may connect to I-5 alongside high school, San Clemente mayor says. A toll road that the Transportation Corridor Agency is considering merging onto Interstate 5 near Avenida Pico would fly over a former Carrows Restaurant that borders San Clemente High School, San Clemente’s mayor said Tuesday, Sept. 5. Mayor Kathy Ward, who represents the city on the TCA’s board of directors, said she was given a tour of potential south Orange County toll road routes that are part of a TCA mobility study. She said she was shocked to see how close an envisioned bridge onto I-5 would pass the high school.
• Another roadblock for long-planned Mid County Parkway project. Another appeal has been filed against the Mid County Parkway, a proposed 16-mile east-west highway corridor that would link Perris and San Jacinto between the 215 Freeway and Highway 79. On Tuesday, Oct. 10, conservation groups filed an appeal in state court challenging the $2 billion project, claiming it would cut through low-income neighborhoods, threaten wildlife preserves and worsen air pollution.
• Calabasas unveils new Las Virgenes Road. After nearly two years of construction, the Las Virgenes Road widening in Calabasas is complete. Mayor Mary Sue Maurer presented the finished project with a public ribbon-cutting on Sept. 26. The 1.5-mile stretch from Lost Hills Road to Agoura Road now has two traffic lanes in each direction to accommodate the additional cars and trucks from several new development projects along Las Virgenes. Robert Yalda, Calabasas director of public works, said the road improvement has been part of the city’s master plan since 1998.
• Bad traffic in L.A.’s toll lanes? Blame the 25% of drivers who don’t pay to use them, officials say. for nearly five years, the 110 Freeway’s carpool lanes have been open to solo drivers who want to avoid bumper-to-bumper traffic. But that privilege comes at a price. Driving the 11-mile toll route from the 105 Freeway to downtown Los Angeles can cost $20 or more during the most congested periods of morning rush hour — for the drivers who actually pay, that is.
• Caltrans repairs bridge and storm damaged highways. This spring, Plumas County residents encountered a traffic signal at the Spring Garden Bridge, 5 miles east of Quincy, that interrupted a normally fluid drive. It is quiet on top of the bridge, and if it weren’t for the signal and the extensive roadwork caution signs, commuters would probably never guess that underneath the 50-year-old bridge is a flurry of activity.
• Riverside County road improvements coming soon, state transportation chief promises. Riverside County and the rest of California will start seeing new transportation projects funded by the gas tax increase moving forward quickly in the coming months, California Transportation Secretary Brian Kelly said Friday, Oct. 13. Speaking before the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce, Kelly said the area benefited in particular from what he called a “historic” $427 million for transportation projects earmarked for Riverside County.
• Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge reopens, allowing coastal access to Big Sur. After an eight-month wait, Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge in Big Sur finally reopened on Friday. The bridge, which has been closed since February, was ready for travel as of 1:10 p.m., according to Caltrans. Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge — located 45.5 miles north of the Monterey County line — is a crucial part of Highway 1, the coastal road that allows travelers to access Big Sur’s renowned hiking and camping areas.
• New Temporary Lanes Coming Monday on Interstate 5 in SCV. Starting Monday night, Oct. 16, the California Department of Transportation will paint new temporary lanes on a section of Interstate 5 aka the Golden State Freeway in and near the city of Santa Clarita, where a two-year, $171 million repaving project has been underway since July. The changes will begin at 9 p.m. Monday and are scheduled to be completed by 5 a.m. Tuesday. The schedule is weather-permitting and is subject to change.
• Why Hemet is fighting with Caltrans over a Highway 74 median. Resigned to the fact that a raised-curb median will be installed through the middle of the city, Hemet council members want to ensure it is functional and attractive. Caltrans plans to construct the 8-mile-long median along Highway 74, which is Florida Avenue in the city, stretching from near Hemet’s western border into the unincorporated Valle Vista neighborhood to the east.
• Big Sur back in business with opening of Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge on Highway 1. The famously fractured Big Sur coast was reconnected Friday when the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge on Monterey County’s scenic Highway 1 opened to traffic. The new steel bridge, which spans a deep ravine thick with redwoods, replaces an old concrete bridge that slipped amid winter storms and left the region’s already isolated southern end cut off from the north.
• Closed by a slide nearly 40 years ago, when will a gap in a San Gabriel Mountains highway reopen?. In 1914, Azusa officials posted a sign at the entrance to San Gabriel Canyon calling on the state to build a road into the steep mountains, saying it would be “the most scenic mountain road in So. California.” It took about 50 years for their dream to become reality. Completed in 1961, San Gabriel Canyon Road, later named State Highway 39, took drivers through towering gorges, dark canyons and above raging rivers, connecting with Angeles Crest Highway, later dubbed State Route 2, at a remote spot 8,250 feet in elevation called Islip Saddle. The ride was not only scenic but for the first time connected San Gabriel Valley residents directly to Wrightwood and local ski areas.
• Piedras Blancas plan calls for a new campground, trail, renovated motel on Hwy. 1. A State Parks plan for a scenic stretch of Highway 1 near Piedras Blancas could one day bring a dilapidated motel and cafe back to life, along with a campground, cabins and coastal trail. State Parks has owned the Piedras Blancas Motel & Cafe property since 2007, when the Trust for Public Lands completed a grant-funded acquisition to prevent commercial development on the prime oceanfront land. The 1950s-era motel, gas station, gift shop, latté stop and informal rough-camping sites there have been closed since before that, with the motel shutting its doors around 2005.
• ‘Four Projects:’ a closer look. When the Ridgecrest City Council meets Wednesday, one of the items on the agenda is potentially approving a letter in support of Mike Sinnott’s Four Projects. But what exactly are these projects? The idea was brought by Sinnott to the City Organization and Services Committee at their meeting on Sept. 12. The committee supported Sinnott and his ideas and directed staff to bring council a letter of conceptual support for the projects.
• California State Route 201. The second route I photo clinched on Monday was CA 201 from CA 245 west to CA 99. CA 201 is a 25 mile route which traverses much of central Tulare County and a small part of Fresno County. CA 201 is almost a two-lane roadway aside from a small part in Kingsburg. CA 201 westbound begins in a place known as Elderwood and is somewhat hilly being in the Sierra Foothills for the first couple miles.
• California State Route 216. Circumstance found me on the road on an odd Monday afternoon. That being the case I decided to photo-clinch two California State Highways; the first being California State Route 216.
• Making progress on I-210 (Foothill Freeway) Pavement Rehabilitation Project. A $148.5 million dollar project to replace and repair pavement along the I-210 (Foothill Freeway) corridor is entering the final stretch. Since Spring 2015, Caltrans has been working on a 9.7 mile section of I-210 from the La Crescenta-Montrose area of Glendale to Pasadena that will provide a smoother and safer drive for motorists when the project is slated to be finished by Summer 2018. The I-210 Pavement Rehabilitation project is scheduled to finish Summer 2018. The project is now 76 percent complete, with current work focusing on replacing concrete pavement on outside lanes between the Glendale Freeway (SR-2) and the Ventura Freeway (SR-134).
• Long-awaited fix coming for a deadly Hwy. 101 intersection in SLO County. A deadly North County intersection will finally get a permanent fix, but it may take a few years. Caltrans is planning an underpass near Wellsona Road and Highway 101 — located just north of Paso Robles and just south of San Miguel — where grape grower Richard Sauret was recently killed when his truck collided with a southbound vehicle while he was turning left. The $13 million underpass will be located just south of the intersection, and will be funded by the State Highway Operation and Protection Program, said Jim Shivers, a spokesman for Caltrans District 5. Caltrans informed San Luis Obispo County officials of the plan in an August letter.
• Topanga Canyon Boulevard Named State Scenic Highway. Don’t expect to see any big developments appear along Topanga Canyon any time soon. Caltrans recently announced the creation of California’s newest officially designated State Scenic Highway—the “Topanga Canyon State Scenic Highway.” The scenic designation runs from the intersection with Pacific Coast Highway at Topanga County Beach and runs north for three-and-a-half miles. The new scenic highway runs parallel to Topanga Creek, with views of massive rock formations, valleys, mountains, and a diversity of plants and animals.
• Caltrans Still Claims 5 Freeway Widening Reduces Congestion, Improves Air. Caltrans District 7 is at it again. Similar to a misleading 2016 video, in this new promotional video Caltrans District 7 inexplicably proclaims that widening the 5 Freeway will (starting minute 3:30) “reduce congestion and improve air quality.” The $1.9-billion widening is funded by Metro’s Measure R.
• Signs recall days when old Highway 99 was a busy route in Mountain Gate. Two generations of Mountain Gate residents are bringing history alive. Darion Fairburn, 23, and his newfound friend, 73-year-old Dave Selby, are bringing attention to the days when historic U.S. Route 99 wound through the town about 12 miles north of Redding. Their efforts will lead to a ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday when a commemorative sign will be unveiled at Fawndale Road and Wonderland Boulevard at the spot where motorists drive on the former highway.
• Nearly $3.4 billion in transportation projects funded. Caltrans added nearly 1,200 lane miles of pavement repair and 66 bridges to its growing list of projects to be delivered sooner than planned thanks to the imminent influx of revenue from the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB 1), the transportation funding and reform package passed in April. To date, Caltrans has now expedited nearly $5 billion in “fix-it-first” projects since the spring. “Years of unfunded maintenance needs have plagued our roadways, so Caltrans is expediting projects with the expectation of SB 1 funds coming in November,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “We are lining up projects that are going to deliver real results for all users of the state transportation system.”
• California State Route 233. Circumstance had me heading out of Fresno northbound. With that being the case I decided to finish CA 233 that I had missed out of due to traffic when I photo-clinched CA 152. CA 233 is a tiny state highway running entirely on Robertson Boulevard from CA 99 in Chowchilla four miles southwest to CA 152.
• California State Route 183. Friday morning I decided to finish up a route that I’ve have never completed while leaving Monterey; California State 183. CA 183 is a 10 mile state route which runs southeast/northwest from Castroville to Salinas. Since I was leaving Monterey I took CA 183 southeast from Castroville.
• Old US 101; the San Juan Grade. While researching maps for California State Route 183 I noticed something interesting on the 1935 County Highway maps for San Benito and Monterey County. From what it appeared it seems that there used to be a state highway running from US 101 south on San Juan Highway, through San Juan Bautista, south over the San Juan Grade to Salinas. It turns out what I discovered was an a very old alignment of US 101 which was replaced by 1932.
• California State Route 25; the Airline Highway. Thursday morning brought me back to the Monterey Peninsula. Given that I hate redoing the same roads repeatedly I decided to take a detour on what I think is one of the most scenic highways in the state; California State Route 25. CA 25 is a 74 mile north/south highway running from CA 198 north to US 101. The vast majority of CA 25 traverses the San Andreas Fault which cuts between the Gabilan and Diablo Ranges. The “Airline” part of CA 25 supposedly comes from the tendency of flight patterns to follow the San Andreas Fault Line.
• Golden Gate Bridge wind tests underway for seismic work. A miniature mid-section of the Golden Gate Bridge is now being buffeted by intense winds in a Canadian lab to make sure the real thing won’t get damaged in case of an intense storm. Bridge officials are working to seismically strengthen the center portion of the span and wind testing is a key element of the work. Engineers are always concerned that any modification to a bridge, however slight, could affect how it performs in high winds.
• Alliance aims to address State Route 92 congestio. While costly highway improvements are expected to trod along slower than a solo driver in rush-hour traffic, a sub-regional public-private partnership is forming to address congestion by encouraging alternate means of transportation — specifically along State Route 92. As governments and transit agencies look to the streets and tracks, employers and companies are looking to hop on board the momentum to enhance mobility.
• Caltrans: Nearly $3.4 billion in transportation projects to be accelerated. Caltrans added nearly 1,200 lane miles of pavement repair and 66 bridges to its growing list of projects to be delivered sooner-than-planned thanks to the imminent influx of revenue from the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017. The transportation funding and reform package passed in April. To date, Caltrans has now expedited nearly $5 billion in “fix-it-first” project since the spring.
• Concrete Fantasy: When Southern California’s Freeways Were New (And Empty). The Southland’s freeways hardly inspire optimism anymore. Glance at the shoulder of a slow-moving freeway and among the weeds you’ll see shards of plastic and twisted metal – the accumulated detritus of a dozen high-speed crashes. They may (occasionally) be convenient, but whether it’s their shabby appearance, the way they displaced a quarter-million people, or simply their soul-crushing traffic, it’s hard to feel good about the freeways. We consider the profound social and environmental costs of our freeway system in tonight’s episode of “Lost L.A.”
• OCTA prepares for future of transportation. The Orange County Transportation Authority is preparing for the future of transportation by exploring trends in the industry and the impacts of emerging technology. Every four years, OCTA completes a Long-Range Transportation Plan that examines the county’s transportation needs, accounting for changes in demographics, the economy and available funding. The plan explores trends in transit needs as the population changes and looks at a multi-modal transportation system, including buses, trains, freeways, city streets, bikeways and more. The Measure M program, Orange County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation, is the centerpiece of long-range planning. The LRTP includes Measure M projects and looks beyond at additional needs throughout the county.
• Once So Chic and Swooshy, Freeways Are Falling Out of Favor. The Scajaquada Corridor is a city dweller’s dreamland, a culture-vulture Valhalla. Within two miles there is a restored Frank Lloyd Wright house you can visit, an art museum with Picassos and Gauguins, three college campuses, a zoo and a history museum in a majestic Greek Revival building from the 1901 Pan Am Exposition listed on the National Historic Register. All of it borders a 356-acre park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. There is just one problem: An expressway runs through it.
• CALTRANS ANNOUNCES 15 LOCAL PROJECTS THAT WILL IMMEDIATELY BENEFIT DUE TO PASSAGE OF SB 1. Caltrans has 15 fix-it-first projects in San Diego and Imperial counties that will benefit from the passage of the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), the Road Repair and Accountability Act. Almost half of those projects will began much sooner than expected due to the passage of SB 1, the state’s transportation agency announced today. The list includes one East County project, fixing a dangerous curve on State Route 94 in Dulzura. Another will impact commuters from East County, including a paving improvement project on a section of State Route 52. “Over the next decade, Californians can expect even more improvements like this as Caltrans embarks on a strategic mission to improve California’s highways, bridges and culverts,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “The Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 emphasizes accountability, ensuring all agencies receiving SB 1 funds show efficiency, accountability and performance for each dollar invested.”
• Roadshow: Toll hike could pay for I-680-I-880 connector. Q: A problem I continually encounter is at the southbound Interstate 680 exit onto South Mission Boulevard in Fremont. During the commute, I-680 traffic becomes backed up a quarter of a mile or more because of the two traffic lights shortly after the off-ramp. If the geniuses who placed two interstate highways so close together — I-680 and I-880 — without an adequate interchange had recognized the inevitable problem they were creating, this problem would never have arisen.
• Metro Applauds California Transportation Commission Action to Fund $27M in Active Transportation Projects for Los Angeles County. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has applauded the California Transportation Commission’s recent approval of $27 million for a variety of Active Transportation Projects in Los Angeles County. The funding for bicycle and pedestrian improvement projects is made possible by Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB 1), which was signed into law by Governor Brown earlier this year.
• Changes to 1-710 Corridor Will Be Hardest on Low-Income Areas. Monday was the last day to submit comments on the draft version of an environmental report for a project to improve traffic congestion and air pollution along a stretch of the 710 (Long Beach) Freeway that includes Bell Gardens, Commerce and East Los Angeles. At a public meeting last Wednesday with the transportation agencies overseeing the project, resident after resident angrily said they are tired of not being listened to and their East Los Angeles neighborhoods being forced to absorb the brunt of the region’s transportation problems.
• 1941 Lanes Bridge Renovations (Old California State Route 41). I was debating what to do on a day off and finally decided to check out the old 1941 Lanes Bridge which used to carry California State Route 41. The 1941 Lanes Bridge can be seen on the northbound CA 41 Freeway as it crosses the San Joaquin River. Since the original bridge was completed in 1889 the Lanes Bridge has been a major highway crossing for traffic over the San Joaquin River. There has been three bridges at the Lanes Bridge crossing, only the original is the only one no longer present. I made my way north out of Fresno during rush hour crossing the San Joaquin River on the CA 41 freeway into Madera County. When I arrived on the old alignment of CA 41 I was greeted by something I didn’t expect, a Caltrans maintenance sign.
• An LA freeway bridge is really rooting for Dodgers to win World Series. Elysian Park motorists may notice an anomaly with the bridge that spans across the Stadium Way exit to Dodger Stadium on the 110 Freeway. Late last week, Caltrans workers painted over the graffiti on the Park Row Overcrossing with blue rather than the usual gray color in honor of the Los Angeles Dodgers making it to the World Series. The idea to use blue paint likely came from Caltrans maintenance crews, said Caltrans spokeswoman Lauren Wonder on Monday.
• Two new Fullerton underpasses are final touch in OCTA’s $663 million O.C. Bridges program. Two recently finished underpasses in Fullerton are the last of the $663 million O.C. Bridges program, which in five years has built seven underpasses and overpasses in north Orange County – ensuring drivers never have to wait for a train at those intersections again. The two recently finished projects – a $124.8 million underpass at Raymond Avenue and a $97 million one at State College Boulevard – join five similar projects completed by the Orange County Transportation Authority. They separate traffic from an increasingly busy freight rail line that runs through Anaheim, Fullerton, Placentia and Yorba Linda. In many areas, passing trains delayed commuters heading to the 91 Freeway or from getting home.