🚘 Headlines About California Highways – August 2026

September. The tail end of summer and the start of fall. Leaves should be falling, but here in Southern California we’re facing the possibility of the tail end of a hurricane that is blowing up from Baja. Of course, that will be followed by more Santa Ana winds and fires. Will Big Sur stay open for the October roadmeet? I don’t know, and I don’t follow the prediction markets. But I do follow the headlines.

As always, we start with the California Highways: Route by Route podcast: I’m still working on Season 5: I just finished writing the second Route 18 episode (5.07). I’ll be taking a break to do the next round of updates for the website, and then get back to writing. We’ll be starting to record Season 5 next week, so look for the first Season 5 episode in mid to late September. Zencaster is working well for recording the podcast, and I think we’ve solved the microphone problems. I also got some more editing tips visiting a high school friend who has worked in terrestrial and internet radio, which I’ll try when I edit Season 5. Please let us know if it sounds better.

As a reminder: You can help our listening audience grow. Please tell your friends about the podcast, “like”, “♥”, or “favorite” it, and give it a rating in your favorite podcatcher. Share the podcast on Facebook groups, and in your Bluesky and Mastodon communities. Leave a review, and tell us about it. For those that hear the early episodes, 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 Creators, or you can subscribe through your favorite podcatching app or via the RSS feeds (CARxR, Spotify for Creators) . The following episodes have been posted this month:

• August | CA RxR 4.15: Bonus: 25 Years of Gribblenation. Episode 4.15 is the second of two bonus episodes. The year 2026 marks 25 years since Adam Prince, Doug Kerr, and Brian LeBlanc started the website. This episode features a discussion with Daniel, Tom (a Gribblenation contributor), Adam, and Doug about the past, present, and future of Gribblenation. Learn the story of how the site came to be, how the name was chosen, the hiccups along the way, and where the site is today. More importantly, learn the philosophy behind Gribblenation: To not only tell the facts and the history of the roads, but to tell the stories behind the roads. Next update: Coming sometime in late September 2026 will be Season 5 of the podcast, starting with the story of Route 15 and I-15 between San Diego and Temecula. (Spotify for Creators)

As a reminder: One of the sources for the highway page updates (and the raison d’etre for for this post) are headlines about California Highways that I’ve seen over the last month. I collect them in this post, which serves as fodder for the updates to my California Highways site, and 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.

Well, you should now be up to date. Here are the headlines that I found about California’s highways for August 2026:

Key

[Ħ Historical information | ＄ Paywalls, ＄＄ really obnoxious paywalls, and ∅ other annoying restrictions, such as demanding your email in order to display the article. 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. Using archive.ph usually works for these sites. See this article for more tips on bypassing paywalls. ＄＄ paywalls are even more annoying. Archive.ph doesn’t work, and you may not be able to get the full details. 🎥 indicates a primarily video article. 🎩 indicates hat/tip to someone for finding this article. ✔ indicates that the article was processed as part of the recent “Updates to California Highways” cycle. ]

Highway Headlines

• Houston Is Proof: You Can’t Build Your Way Out of a Traffic Jam (Space Daily). Picture a road so wide that from the middle of it you cannot make out what shops are on the other side. Twenty-six lanes of concrete laid flat across west Houston, wide enough to land a jumbo jet on. Now picture it at five thirty on a Tuesday, packed solid, everyone breathing their own exhaust and quietly wondering what the three billion dollars bought. That is the Katy Freeway, and it is the most expensive economics lesson anyone has ever poured in concrete.
• Port of LA studies Vincent Thomas Bridge fix for megaships (Port Technology International | 🎩 Plutonic Panda). The Port of Los Angeles, the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly evaluate long-term options for replacing or modifying the Vincent Thomas Bridge. The bridge is a critical link in the US supply chain. The agreement launches what the Port describes as a once-in-a-generation planning effort to assess concepts that would improve safety, sustainability and freight mobility while keeping the port competitive as global trade evolves. The MOU sets out a roadmap for the three parties to evaluate replacement or modification concepts through Caltrans’ project development process, with the initial phase focused on planning, technical evaluation and environmental review. Subject to approval by the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners, the port will contribute $5 million towards preliminary engineering, environmental studies and other technical work needed to assess potential alternatives.
• Old Sac I-5 Dream Deck (FB/Inside Sacramento). After his death in 1912, Daniel Burnham, the legendary Chicago architect, was celebrated as much for his famous quote as for his high-profile planning projects. “Make no little plans,” Burnham said. “They have no magic to stir men’s blood, and probably will not themselves be realized.” When I think of what U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui recently pulled off for her local congressional district, the more Burnham’s quote resonates. “Make big plans,” he went on. “Aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram, once recorded, will never die, but, long after we are gone, will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency.”
• ＄ Here’s the latest on the $114M Highway 101 wildlife crossing (VC Star). Crews have drilled supports and started to pour concrete for the Agoura Road stretch of a wildlife crossing that will span Highway 101 near Liberty Canyon Road. Plans call for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing to look like a slice of the Santa Monica Mountains. Billed as the world’s largest urban wildlife crossing, the 210-foot-long, vegetated bridge is expected to reconnect the Santa Monicas to other areas. Experts say it could help save an isolated mountain lion population from extinction.
• California Transportation Plan Updates (Caltrans). The California Transportation Plan (CTP) provides a common framework that guides transportation decisions and investments by all levels of government and the private sector. Statutorily mandated federal and state law requires that Caltrans facilitate, develop, and prepare the CTP. It is Caltrans responsibility to work with stakeholders and the public to update the CTP every five years. The latest iteration of the draft CTP is now available for public comment on Caltrans Engagement Portal: …
• California’s Highway 101 faces daytime closures this week amid construction of the world’s largest wildlife crossing (Secret Los Angeles). SoCal is in the middle of a wave of infrastructure projects, from major transit upgrades to public space improvements. While many are focused on easing congestion and making it safer for people to get around, some are also designed to protect the region’s wildlife. One of the most ambitious examples is the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, a landmark project that will reconnect habitats divided by the 101 while helping reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. This week, drivers traveling through Agoura Hills should plan ahead, as construction at the crossing will temporarily affect access to the freeway.
• RCTC Breaks Ground On Ramona Expressway Improvement Project (Construction Equipment Guide | 🎩 Plutonic Panda). The Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) broke ground on June 24, 2026, on a series of safety and road improvements along a major 8.6-mi. segment in Riverside County. Skanska USA Civil is the general contractor for the $107.4 million project. Major roadway improvements will be made along the Ramona Expressway from Warren Road to about 1 mi. east of Rider Street in the county. This segment is within the Mid County Parkway, also known as the MCP, a planned 16-mi. corridor between Route 79 in the Hemet Valley and Interstate 215 in Perris. Construction is set to take place through 2028.

• Tehachapi City Council hears update on Keene Pavement Project (Tehachapi News | 🎩 Fred Akbar). The Tehachapi City Council heard a presentation on the Keene Pavement Project from the California Department of Transportation District 9 at its last meeting earlier this month. The project will involve repaving and rehabilitating a 12.3-mile stretch of Highway 58 between Bakersfield and Tehachapi, between the Tehachapi Creek Bridge to Bealville Road, as well as a 3.5-mile truck climbing lane. City of Tehachapi officials have expressed support for the project, in part because a large percentage of the local population commutes to work on 58.
• ＄ Plan allots $200M for Marin transportation projects (Marin Independent Journal). A draft four-year transportation plan outlines 21 projects in Marin County receiving about $200 million. The allocations are part of the 2027 Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP, which includes more than 400 projects in the nine-county Bay Area that are set to get more than $13.8 billion through 2030. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, a regional planning and funding agency, is seeking comments on the draft plan through Aug. 15. “For projects that have federal funds, the TIP is really important,” said Anne Richman, executive director of the Transportation Authority of Marin. “It’s a federal requirement, and a project needs to be included in the plan in order to access their funds.”
• El Cerrito targets more safety improvements on San Pablo Avenue (Richmond Standard). El Cerrito is taking more steps toward improving safety along San Pablo Avenue after receiving funding to design new pedestrian crossings at three locations. In May, the West Contra Costa Transportation Commission (WCCTC) awarded the city $1.47 million to design crosswalk safety improvements at Portola Drive, Waldo Avenue and Avila Street along San Pablo Avenue, the city stated online this week. The design work will prepare the project for construction as the city looks to make one of its busiest streets safer for pedestrians and other road users.
• Richmond news briefs: Richmond gets $700,000 for bike path (RichmondSide). The state has awarded Richmond $700,000 to help fund its Richmond Greenway Gap Closure Project. The grant will fund the next phase of planning and conceptual design for a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge over 23rd Street, Carlson Boulevard, and adjacent railroad tracks. City officials say the project will close a “critical gap in the Richmond Greenway and improve safe access for people walking and bicycling on the trail.” The Richmond Greenway is a nearly 3-mile trail between South Second Street and San Pablo Avenue. The trail has a gap in the middle that requires users to navigate a potentially hazardous route beneath an overpass and along busy city streets.
• I-5/El Toro Road Interchange Project DED Available (FB/OCTD). The Draft Environmental Document (DED) for the I-5/El Toro Road Interchange Project is now available for public review and comment. The document evaluates the project’s potential environmental effects, identifies possible mitigation measures, and gives the public an opportunity to review the information and submit feedback. Join us at an upcoming public hearing to meet the project team, ask questions, and share your comments.
• Ħ The old and new Highway 49 crossing (FB/Miranda Timonds). The old and new Highway 49 crossing. Pic taken from the Hoyt’s Crossing Trail. Moses Hoyt, the first mayor of Nevada City, built and ran the early crossing and toll bridge to link local settlements with northern gold fields. The front bridge was built in 1920s and replaced by the rear bridge in the 1990s.
• ＄ Caltrans installs no parking signs near Bixby Bridge (San Luis Obispo Tribune). People heading to Big Sur for a photo of the iconic Bixby Bridge are about to be disappointed. About 15 miles south of Carmel, Caltrans is installing the long-awaited “no parking” signs this week, making it officially illegal to park near the popular selfie spot on Highway 1. TOP VIDEOS The moratorium prohibits parking from approximately on both sides of the highway from 900 feet north of Bixby Bridge to approximately 700 feet south of the span, according to the ordinance. Likewise, parking also has been forbidden for nearly a year on about 1,260 feet of both sides of the nearby unpaved, single-lane (Old) Coast Road that runs east from Highway 1. That restriction remains in force.
• Purple Heart Trail – Yuba City (FB/Caltrans District 3). Tomorrow, we have the privilege of honoring those who have sacrificed so much for our country. 💜 Join us and our community as we recognize National Purple Heart Day with the dedication of State Routes 20 and 99 within the City of Yuba City as part of the National Purple Heart Trail, followed by the unveiling of the Purple Heart Trail highway sign.
• No-parking signs near Bixby Bridge installed ahead of Car Week (KSBW). New no-parking signs have been installed along both sides of Highway 1 near Bixby Bridge, just in time for Monterey Car Week, which begins Friday. The signs are part of a 12-month pilot program approved by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors in June to address chronic traffic congestion and safety concerns at one of the Central Coast’s most visited landmarks. The ordinance prohibits parking on both sides of Highway 1 near Bixby Bridge, where heavy tourist traffic has frequently caused vehicles to stop along the roadway to take photos. “Please do not stop in travel lanes or park illegally. Vehicles found in violation will be subject to enforcement action,” wrote California Highway Patrol Monterey.
• State approves safety project on Highway 53 (Lake County News). The California Transportation Commission has given the go ahead to fund a new highway safety project near Clearlake. In July, the commission reported that it approved 150 transportation projects statewide totaling nearly $2.5 billion to “enhance connectivity for people who walk and bike, rebuild vital routes damaged by extreme weather events and increase access for transit users.” “This funding translates into projects that enhance accessibility for all users, strengthen resiliency of our vital corridors and create increased transit options across the state,” said Caltrans Director Dina El-Tawansy. Among the approved projects is $2 million for work on Highway 53, from Anderson Ranch Parkway to 40th Avenue in Clearlake, a distance of about two and a half miles.
• Bridging the past and future: Whiskey Creek Bridge project (Caltrans). For more than six decades, the Whiskey Creek Bridge corridor has played a vital role in connecting communities along State Route 299 in Shasta County. The story of this stretch of highway dates back to 1960, when the relocation of five miles of State Route 299 became necessary due to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s planned construction of Whiskeytown Dam. The project stretched from approximately 2.5 miles east of Tower House Road to 2.5 miles east of Whiskeytown Lake, about 11 miles west of Redding, and created a new two-lane expressway with a 40-foot-wide roadbed. At the time, construction of Whiskeytown Dam on Clear Creek would ultimately inundate the original townsite of Whiskeytown as well as the existing highway. Once completed, the reservoir would store 250,000 acre-feet of water as part of the Central Valley Project, serving as a key link in transferring water from the Trinity River at Lewiston to the Sacramento River at Keswick.
• Felton Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project Continues as Community Returns to School Thursday, August 6 (Caltrans). As students in the San Lorenzo Valley make their return to school on Thursday, August 6, Caltrans will continue working on the Felton Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project on Highway 9. During the current phase of construction, a temporary concrete barrier is installed closing one of the southbound lanes on Highway 9 approaching Graham Hill/Felton Empire Road. This barrier is essential for the safety of crews working behind it for all current phases of work and is expected to remain in place through February 2027. With the start of the school year on August 6, we want the community to make sure to allow for extra time during their commute. For the first week of school Caltrans is taking action to minimize delays as much as possible:
• The unexpected animals quietly making California roads safer (SF Gate). California drivers hit as many as 100,000 deer each year by some estimates. Without wild cats, that tally could be even larger, according to new research. To explain this phenomenon, the researchers reason that the lions have a hunting advantage at forest edges, where trees meet a field or road. To avoid their lurking predators in these places, deer move into more remote habitat. “When we talk about pumas, we often focus on the risks they pose,” Mark Elbroch, an ecologist for Panthera and a study author, said in a statement. “But we rarely stop to consider the many ways they benefit us as well. Living alongside large carnivores isn’t simply about protecting wildlife; it’s about protecting the many ways they quietly benefit us every day.”
• Major closures coming to Carquinez Bridge (NBC Bay Area). Major closures are coming to the Carquinez Bridge, which connects Vallejo to the East Bay. The bridge is set for a full deck replacement. Caltrans said crews need to repave the bridge to ensure safety and smoothness. Crews will begin repairs at 6 p.m. Friday, resulting in one westbound lane closure. The repair is expected to continue until 7 p.m. Saturday. A full bridge closure will start two weeks later on Aug. 21. Lanes will reopen on Aug. 24.
• I-80 Weekend Closure: What to Know About August Travel Over the Carquinez Bridge (KQED). The Carquinez Bridge, which connects Vallejo in Solano County to Crockett in Contra Costa County via Interstate 80, is scheduled for a major weekend closure for maintenance work this weekend. Caltrans told KQED that it’s investing approximately $1.4 million into rehabilitating the suspension bridge that carries traffic along westbound I-80 — also known as the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge — in the direction of Crockett. The big thing to know: Over the weekend of Aug. 21-24, westbound I-80 over the bridge will be completely closed to all traffic.
• Ħ The Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge (Caltrans). Alfred “Al” Zampa was the first born son of Emilio and Maria Zampa, Italian immigrants who migrated to the USA from Abruzzi, Italy. Al was born on March 12, 1905 in Selby, California just down the river from where the bridge that bares his name sits. He was the eldest of three brothers and two sisters. Al started his career in ironwork when he was 20 years old on the first Carquinez Bridge opening in 1927. He worked on all of the highway and railroad bridges in the area, including the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge. In 1936 Al fell from the Golden Gate into a safety net designed by famous bridge engineer Joseph Strauss. He survived the fall but it severely injured him. After recovering Al immediately returned to his job on the bridge and along with other fall survivors, he helped form the Halfway to Hell Club. The highlight of Al’s career came when his two sons joined him as ironworkers to help build the second Carquinez Bridge that would open in 1958 to carry traffic Eastbound on the new Interstate 80 highway.
• ＄ Yerba Buena Tunnel could be named after this quirky SF folk hero (SF Chronicle). State Sen. Scott Wiener has introduced a resolution to name the Bay Bridge’s Yerba Buena Tunnel after an eccentric San Franciscan who came up with the idea for a bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland. The resolution would name it the “Emperor Norton Tunnel,” making it just one more link in a long chain of efforts to get Bay Area politicians to commemorate a man who declared himself the “Emperor of the United States” and the “Protector of Mexico.” State Assembly Member Catherine Stefani, who represents San Francisco and San Mateo, co-authored the Senate concurrent resolution announced Tuesday.
• Weigh in on road improvements along Grand and Fruitvale avenues, and more (The Oaklandside). The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is far less visible than, say, the City Council, but it plays a substantial role in transforming communities: it distributes some $2 billion in transit-related funding each year across the Bay Area from sales and gas taxes, bridge tolls, and federal grants that result in new roadways, rail lines, and bike lanes. For the next two weeks, the MTC is asking area residents to comment on two of its most important policy documents: its biannual Transportation Improvement Program plan and a related environmental analysis. For Oakland, the proposed plan includes $20 million for Grand Avenue Roadway Improvements, nearly $5 million for signal improvements on Fruitvale Avenue, and about $20 million for the construction of four bicycle boulevards in East Oakland. These projects are each designed to slow drivers, making it safer to walk, bike, and drive on major city roads.
• ＄ Improving roadway visual markers key to reducing serious crashes (Daily Republic). An updated Local Road Safety Plan focuses on “upgrading sign retroreflectivity and upgrading striping and pavement markings” as low-cost countermeasures to the primary causes of fatal and serious injury collisions on unincorporated roadways. “These countermeasures were selected because they directly address the predominant collision patterns identified in the updated analysis while providing broad applicability across the county’s rural roadway network,” the plan amendment approved Tuesday by the Solano County Board of Supervisors states. “Their relatively low implementation cost, ease of deployment and demonstrated safety effectiveness make them well suited for a countywide systemic project. Implementation of these improvements is expected to enhance roadway delineation, improve driver expectancy and increase the visibility of critical regulatory and warning signs throughout the county’s transportation network,” the report added.
• ＄ Marin supervisors to consider new roads standards (Marin Independent Journal). Marin County supervisors are eyeing new objective standards for roads on land earmarked for new residential development. The current draft of the standards is expected to be considered by the board next month. It would require sidewalks of certain widths; buffer strips between vehicle travel lanes for pedestrian safety; on-street parking for certain road types; minimum paved travel lanes; and shared-use paths accommodating bicycles on some types of roads. The Marin County Planning Commission got its second look at the draft plans last month. Robert Brown, a former San Rafael planning director hired to advise the county, told commissioners at the July 27 meeting that the county has been receiving a number of requests from developers for waivers under state density bonus law to avoid building sidewalks.
• VTA asks public to weigh in on southwest Gilroy road extension (Gilroy Dispatch). Transportation planners are preparing to begin an environmental study for a project that will extend Santa Teresa Boulevard to the intersection of Highways 101 and 25 in Gilroy, and are asking the public and stakeholders to offer their input. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and Caltrans are preparing a joint Environmental Impact Report and Environmental Assessment for the project, known as the “US 101/SR 25/Santa Teresa Boulevard Extension Project.” To begin that process, the VTA issued a Notice of Preparation for the EIR and has scheduled an Aug. 11 scoping meeting. The public is encouraged to attend and let planners know what they think the environmental study should cover and consider. The meeting will take place 6-7pm at the Gavilan College Student Center, 5055 Santa Teresa Blvd., in Gilroy. Project planners will provide an overview of the project before opening up the proceeding for public input.
• Caltrans I-580 Truck Ban Study Finds Modest Health Gains, Major Traffic Shifts (KQED). In a long-awaited preliminary study, Caltrans found that lifting a decades-old truck ban on Interstate 580 would add about 3,800 large vehicles to the highway daily — and reduce truck traffic along parallel Interstate 880. The findings come as the state’s transportation department examines the potential traffic, health and equity impacts of removing a more than 70-year-old ban on trucks heavier than 9,000 pounds, with the exception of some buses and paratransit vehicles, from the highway running along the base of the East Bay Hills in Oakland and San Leandro. Oakland residents have raised concerns for years about the health impacts of the ban, which diverts most truck traffic coming through the East Bay to I-880.
• ＄ Federal, local leaders rally behind plans to fix Petaluma’s Corona Road overcrossing (Petaluma Argus-Courier). Petaluma’s long-discussed plans to make one of its busiest Highway 101 overcrossings safer for pedestrians and bicyclists drew support Wednesday from federal, regional and local leaders, who walked the Corona Road overpass together as they pushed for funding to move the project forward. U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson joined Sonoma County Transportation and Climate Authority Chair Ariel Kelley, Petaluma Mayor Kevin McDonnell, Petaluma City Council member Janice Cader Thompson and Rohnert Park Vice Mayor Jackie Elward, along with Caltrans officials and local transportation planners, for a milelong tour highlighting the proposed improvements. The project would add a protected multiuse pathway on the eastbound side of Corona Road, a protected westbound bicycle lane and a roundabout at the Industrial Avenue intersection. The improvements are intended to create safer connections between neighborhoods east of Highway 101, businesses west of the freeway and the Petaluma North SMART station.
• ＄ Why do signs for the 710 North say ‘Pasadena,’ when the freeway doesn’t go there? (Pasadena Star News). The green overhead freeway signs throughout Los Angeles County direct motorists to take the “710 Freeway North/Pasadena.” But there’s a problem: There is no 710 freeway in Pasadena. That’s got some folks in Pasadena and South Pasadena fuming, despite the state’s insistence that its top transportation agency has good reasons to keep the signs up. It’s wrong, misleading, and a slap in the face to the “freeway fighters” who successfully defeated the 710 extension into Pasadena in 2018, putting to rest a decades-old battle to stop a freeway project that divided communities and displaced homeowners, critics say.
• ＄ Highway 50 repairs expected to finish by end of summer (Sacramento Bee). The more than $500 million Highway 50 renovation project remains on pace to be completed by the end of summer, with only minor work remaining, though nighttime lane closures are expected to continue for at least a few weeks, a California Department of Transportation official said Friday. Planning began on the 14-mile, $511.1 million freeway project in 2016, and road work began in 2021. The project was initially scheduled for completion in 2025 but was pushed back to July 2026 to July 2026 last year before being delayed again to the end of summer.
• ＄ My horrible L.A. commute became an unhinged game of Wordle that lasted 30 years (Los Angeles Times | 🎩 ClassicsHasClass). “Quick! Look up! Do you see what I see?” For most of the last 30 years, my daily commute has taken me by the Pacific Avenue exit of the 405 Freeway in Long Beach. It’s an unremarkable off-ramp, squeezed between the 710 Freeway and the L.A. River. But I’m obsessed with it, specifically a big green sign telling drivers the exit is coming up. I point it out to anyone who drives with me. I’ve taken photos from my open sunroof going 65 mph, viewed it from nearby streets and even trespassed into the parking lot of an apartment complex for a closer look.
• Caltrans Construction Projects Underway Along Hwy 20 and 49 (YubaNet). Caltrans is reminding motorists of various lane closures in multiple locations along State Route 49 (SR 49) and State Route 20 (SR 20) as several projects continue in Placer and Nevada counties. Here is the breakdown for the week:
• Bay Area transportation plan proposes $14 billion in projects through 2030 (KALW). The Metropolitan Transportation Commission has released a draft of its latest Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP, for public comment. The draft TIP includes more than 400 transportation projects across the Bay Area, with about $14 billion in federal, state and local funding allocated from 2027 through 2030. Rebecca Long, director of public affairs for the MTC, says the TIP is updated every two years and lays out which transportation projects are expected to move forward over the next four years. The TIP is an action plan for the region’s long-range transportation plan, Plan Bay Area 2050+, which looks ahead 25 years.
• Highway 152 resolution seeks to honor former official (Gilroy Dispatch). A State Senate resolution aims to designate a portion of Highway 152 as the “Rusty Areias Highway,” a former assemblymember who represented the Central Coast and portions of the Central Valley. The resolution, known as SCR 129, was introduced by State Sen. Dave Cortese, serving as Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. SCR 129 is co-authored by 21 members of the legislature, according to Cortese’s office. Areias was widely respected for his leadership on transportation, agriculture and regional economic development, Cortese said in a press release. He authored more than 100 pieces of legislation that were signed into law under two Republican governors. During his tenure on the Assembly Transportation Committee, Areias was instrumental in securing $150 million for improvements to State Route 152 over Pacheco Pass Road—a critical investment that strengthened the connection between the San Joaquin Valley and the South Bay Area.
• ＄ A new bridge may be coming for San Pedro and the Port of L.A. (Daily Breeze). A new, “re-imagined” bridge that would replace San Pedro’s iconic Vincent Thomas Bridge could become a reality in about a decade, port officials announced on Thursday, July 30, as state, city and port representatives gathered to sign a memorandum of understanding to kick off what is guaranteed to be a long — and costly — process. While some kind of bridge “modification” could also be under consideration, most of the remarks on board the Battleship Iowa on Thursday afternoon were geared toward a new bridge. Research, community discussions and identifying funding will all come next. Calling it a “momentous day,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said a change is needed as the port — a harbor created long ago with mudflats and oxcarts — is now the busiest in the western hemisphere and needs to keep pace. The port saw 10 million shipping containers move through in 2025. It was the third time that number has been reached, and the port now simply needs better and more updated access for the larger, cleaner container ships already arriving on the scene.
• ＄ Major construction project to shut down part of Highway 101 in SF (SF Chronicle). A major construction project will close parts of Highway 101 in San Francisco later this month, with work set to continue through 2028. Crews in orange vests will swarm the “Hospital Curve” stretch of the freeway, fixing drainage systems, repaving concrete and replacing the median barrier. The 70-year old roadway extends from Candlestick Point State Recreation Area to the Interstate 80 junction that leads toward the Bay Bridge. Perpetual battering from cars and trucks has scuffed the medians and left cracks in the pavement, requiring numerous repairs to extend the highway’s useful life. But ambitious road projects can’t proceed without some disruption for drivers. In this case, Caltrans will close two northbound and two southbound lanes between Cesar Chavez and 17th Street, starting at 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, and ending at 6 a.m. Monday, Aug. 24. Although two lanes on each side of the freeway will remain open, the route will be so constricted that Caltrans officials have advised drivers to avoid Hospital Curve altogether, and instead take a detour along Interstate 280.
• Highway 101 project moves ahead as businesses feel the impacts (KSBY). A major, multi-year effort to improve the Highway 101 corridor through Goleta is moving forward, but the construction is bringing mixed reactions from residents and business owners. Project Connect includes upgrades to bridges, roadways and intersections, as well as improvements to pedestrian and bicycle connections. The goal is to reduce congestion and make it easier for people to move through the area. Crews are currently working overnight at the Creek Bridge from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. The overnight work is expected to continue through Wednesday, August 12.
• ＄ $134.5M Oxnard bridge project on Rice Avenue takes shape (VC Star). Steel, concrete, scaffolding and girders are visible as commuters enter and exit Oxnard near Rice Avenue, as a $134.5 million bridge project aimed at preventing collisions of trains and vehicles takes shape. Despite the many intersections along the eight-mile stretch of Highway 34, the one on Fifth Street and Rice is particularly deadly, being the site of many crashes, including a 2015 fatal collision that left a Metrolink engineer dead and over 30 passengers injured. The city broke ground on the project on Feb. 22, 2025. The bridge will divert north and southbound Rice Avenue, or Highway 1, traffic and build a connecting road for those coming from Fifth Street.
• Malibu council pulls the plug on PCH Roundabout Project (The Malibu Times). Council unanimously ends proposed western Malibu pilot after evacuation study, funding complications and concerns that the roundabouts were planned for the wrong location. On Monday, the Malibu City Council unanimously denied the controversial Quick-Build Roundabouts project proposed for western Pacific Coast Highway, directing city staff to withdraw from the project, remove it from the city’s Capital Improvement Program, and seek reimbursement for eligible costs already spent. The Aug. 10 decision followed another lengthy discussion over the proposed roundabouts, including new wildfire evacuation modeling, vehicle simulations and the revelation that $2 million in Measure M funding allocated to the project could not be used if the city intended from the outset to remove the roundabouts after a temporary trial period. While council members ultimately agreed the proposed locations were wrong, several stressed that Monday’s decision should not be interpreted as a rejection of roundabouts as a potential safety tool elsewhere on PCH.
• The San Gabriels’ pole of inaccessibility (Boing Boing). Dima Kogan hiked in the San Gabriel Mountains, and a friend wondered which point in the range sits farthest from any road or trail. Kogan went home and computed it, and his notes on the poles of inaccessibility above Los Angeles put the answer at 4,343 meters, or about 2.7 miles, from the nearest one. A pole of inaccessibility is the point as far as possible from a given set of things, like the spot on land farthest from any ocean. Kogan pulled every road and trail out of OpenStreetMap, sampled each every 100 meters, and built a Voronoi diagram. The vertex farthest from any of those points is the pole. He treated the Earth as flat across the 80 kilometers the range spans, which introduces about 125 meters of elevation error. “That’s plenty good enough,” he writes.
• Worsening conditions threaten Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu (SF Gate). In the latest round of California’s seemingly never-ending battle to protect coastal infrastructure and beaches from erosion, the city of Malibu says a section of world-famous Pacific Coast Highway is now at risk. The threats to the iconic highway touch on a number of the broader issues facing the state: fire recovery, climate change and the difficulties of adapting coastal infrastructure (most of it planned and built long before climate change entered the state’s planning lexicon) to withstand today’s more frequent and extreme storms and weather events. In Malibu, erosion threats to Pacific Coast Highway are heightened in the Palisades Fire burn area, where waves now crash right into the remaining foundations of destroyed homes, often just a few feet from the road. Last week, the city of Malibu issued a news release calling on the state’s transportation agency to act fast to “address rapidly worsening coastal erosion” along PCH in the footprint of the Palisades Fire.
• When will the I-80 Yolo causeway construction end? (Abridged). Being stuck in a traffic jam on the Yolo Causeway can be a helpless experience. Suspended above the bypass with no escape, drivers frequently find themselves in stop-and-go traffic, completely at the mercy of the flickering red brake lights in front of them. With narrow lanes, no shoulders and ongoing construction, the stretch of Interstate 80 that connects Davis and West Sacramento has long been plagued by congestion. In an effort to alleviate some of that traffic, Caltrans embarked on a projected $465 million lane widening and traffic alleviation project in 2019.
• Fed-up locals call for end to the ‘racetrack’ on mountain highways (The Almanac). More than 500 people across the Peninsula are pressuring elected officials to take action in making highways 35, 84 and 9 safer. In the last five years, 26 people have died on these curving mountain roads, especially near the Four Corners intersection in Woodside. Locals say they’re fed up with drivers treating the two-lane highways like a racetrack. After years of witnessing or experiencing accidents, petitioners from San Francisco to San Jose are calling for safer road designs, stronger traffic enforcement and public acknowledgement of the dangers of these roads from Caltrans, Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) and state Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park).
• Caltrans lane reductions planned on Highway 101 at Hospital Curve (San Mateo Daily Journal). Caltrans will reduce north and south lanes along Highway 101 at Hospital Curve for the entire weekend of Aug. 21-24, to complete median road work as part of rehabilitation projects which began in fall 2025. Lane reductions will begin 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, when two northbound lanes and two southbound lanes between Cesar Chavez Street to 17th Street will be closed. These lanes will reopen by Monday, Aug. 24, at 6 a.m. During the weekend, two lanes in the northbound and two in the southbound lanes will remain open, according to Caltrans. Full freeway closures are also planned from northbound Cesar Chavez Street to 17th Street on Labor Day weekend Sept. 4-7 and Sept. 18-21, according to Caltrans.
• ＄ Laguna Canyon Road gets a long-due $43.9M makeover (Los Angeles Times). For many motorists traveling on Laguna Canyon Road, Tuesday was just another summer day, the greenbelt of a coastal wilderness park providing the scenic views many cherish when heading into Laguna Beach. But for those tasked with ensuring an oft-traveled stretch of roadway remains safe, it was a day a dozen years in the making. State and local officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of $43.9 million in improvements to a 1-mile stretch of Laguna Canyon Road. The work is geared toward enhancing safety for bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians, and mitigating fire risk.
• Major Highway 41 upgrade underway after years of community pressure (ABC30 Fresno). On Friday morning, Caltrans announced the groundbreaking of the State Route 41 Excelsior Expressway Four-lane Project. A moment nearly two decades in the making. “It was too important to let is sit for another 20 years. It was too important to not keep on pushing and not just for the people here in the valley but for everyone in the state of California,” said California Transportation Commissioner Lee Ann Eager. The $77.2 million project will transform about 6 miles of Highway 41 from a two-lane highway to a divided four-lane expressway. The work is happening between the Excelsior Avenue Undercrossing in Kings County to Elkhorn Avenue in Fresno County.
• Ħ The Old El Camino Real (FB/Old Highway 101). The Old El Camino Real road that became US 101 passes right by this historic adobe in San Miguel California.
• Groundbreaking: State Route 41 Excelsior Expressway Four-Lane Project (FB/Caltrans District 6). Caltrans was honored to break ground today alongside the Fresno County Transportation Authority and local partners on the State Route 41 Excelsior Expressway Four-Lane Project! This project will improve safety and reduce travel times along the corridor, enhancing operational efficiency of the regional movement of freight and goods.
• Ħ Route 39 Freeway (FB/Covina Past). Few people know that in the late Sixties, plans were drawn up to build a north/south freeway through both Covina and West Covina. This Covina Chamber of Commerce road map from 1970 shows a proposed route running south from the 210 west of Azusa Avenue (SR-39 at the time). The project had unofficial names like the La Habra Parkway or the Huntington Beach Freeway, but folks today would probably just call it “the 39.”
• Ħ Beachwood Drive Tunnels (FB/LA Street Names). It’s no coincidence that Burbank has a Beachwood Drive one mile north of the older Beachwood Drive in the Hollywood Hills. There was in fact a plan to bore a traffic tunnel through Griffith Park that would connect the two streets, as proposed in June 1924 by the newly-formed Greater San Fernando Valley Association. Three months earlier, a tract of unknown ownership laid out Burbank’s Beachwood Drive, Griffith Park Drive, and Parkside Avenue in anticipation. Three separate Griffith Park tunnels via Bronson, Western, and Vermont avenues were ultimately conceived, yet despite the heavy hitters behind the scheme – including, at various times, Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler, Burbank developer Earl L. White (see Hollywood Way), urban planner Gordon Whitnall, and even movie mogul Cecil B. DeMille – they never obtained the financing or the approval. The last tunnel talk was in 1946, which not coincidentally was the year Forest Lawn purchased the land for their Hollywood Hills cemetery. The only digging after that was for graves.
• California’s Highway 101 is shutting down nearly 4 miles of lanes and ramps starting this week amid a $24.3 M rehabilitation project (Secret Los Angeles). If there’s one thing Southern Californians know, it’s that getting around by car can mean navigating a constantly shifting maze of lane closures, construction zones, and unexpected delays. With so much of daily life built around driving, staying on top of traffic updates can make the difference between a manageable commute and a very long night behind the wheel. This week, drivers on one of L.A.’s major freeways should plan for some extra roadwork: the 101 Freeway will face a series of lane and ramp closures through the Cahuenga Pass as Caltrans continues a long-term pavement rehabilitation project.
• ∅ SF’s Broadway Tunnel partially closes for next 14 months during health center project (Local News Matters). San Francisco Public Works began a 14-month partial closure of the Broadway Tunnel on Monday as part of the Chinatown Public Health Center renovation project. One lane will remain open in each direction through the tunnel, with motorists warned to expect delays during peak travel times. The work is scheduled to continue through October 2027. The closure affects the Broadway Tunnel on Broadway between Larkin and Powell streets. Motorists are advised to plan their routes ahead. The 1,616-foot tunnel, which opened in 1952, is officially named in honor of the late Robert C. Levy, a former San Francisco civil engineer and superintendent of building inspection.
• California’s most dreaded commute revealed in new ranking — and it’s not in SoCal (Yahoo/California Post). California commuters have crowned the state’s ultimate traffic nightmare — and it’s not in Los Angeles. The infamous “MacArthur Maze” near the Bay Bridge has been ranked the worst commute in California, beating out the notorious freeway gridlock that routinely brings Southern California to a crawl. A new survey from Resume.io asked 3,017 employees how much of their annual salary they’d be willing to sacrifice to escape their daily commute.
• ＄ Highway 37 could be underwater by 2050. CA weighs $100 million fix (SF Chronicle). State transportation officials on Thursday will weigh whether to invest $100 million in one of the Bay Area’s most ambitious transportation projects: the effort to raise a 21-mile highway before it sinks into the sea. The overhaul of Highway 37 — a key route for commuters headed from Interstate 80 in Vallejo to the Highway 101 junction in Novato — would repair bridges, restore tidal habitat and replace a flood-prone stretch of road with an elevated causeway. And it could have immediate practical benefits. For the first phase, Caltrans aims to widen a 10-mile segment between Mare Island and Sears Point, where the road currently constricts to one lane in each direction. It slices along the San Pablo Bay shoreline, where ducks and starlings flit through mucky grass while motorists have the sense their tires are right at water level.
• Trailer trucks on I-580? Lifting the ban would open the floodgates, study finds (The Oaklandside). If the state removes a ban on heavy trucking on the I-580 freeway, which crosses Oakland below the hills from the Oakland Zoo to Lake Merritt, the highway will see a large increase in heavy trucks, according to new findings from a highly anticipated study paid for by Caltrans, the state transportation agency. The study is part of a process initiated by Caltrans, the state transportation agency, to consider removing the truck ban, which has been in place since the highway was built in the 1960s. Removing the ban, the study found, would lead to 3,800 heavy trucks and 75,300 heavy-truck miles a day on a highway that currently sees none and lies within 1,000 feet of dozens of schools, health care centers, and senior centers.
• Malibu announces timeline for automated speed cameras on PCH (KTLA). With installation nearly complete, Malibu is entering the public education phase for its 10 automated speed enforcement cameras, scheduled to go live this fall. The city will begin a 60-day warning period in late September when the cameras are activated to detect vehicles traveling at least 11 mph above the posted speed limit. “Motorists who exceed the threshold will receive warnings only,” the city posted on Instagram on Tuesday. Enforcement along Malibu’s 21-mile stretch of Pacific Coast Highway will then begin in late November. Violations will result in civil penalties, although no driver’s license points or insurance penalties will apply, according to the city.
• Freeman Gulch Safety Improvements Project (FB/Caltrans District 9). The public comment period for the Freeman Gulch Safety Improvements Project is open until Tuesday, September 8. Visit https://engage.dot.ca.gov/b64545 to review the Environmental Document, learn more about the project, and submit an official public comment. Currently in the Environmental Phase, the Freeman Gulch Safety Improvements Project proposals include: …
• Caltrans Advances ‘Last Chance Grade’ Tunnel Project to Design Phase (Caltrans). Caltrans today announced that a landmark project has advanced into its design phase. The “Last Chance Grade” 6,000-foot tunnel project, once completed, will improve travel times and safety through Del Norte County on U.S. 101. This stunning newly released drone footage highlights the area where the tunnel will protect travelers along this vital corridor from chronic landslide activity. “By addressing climate instability and landslides with world-class engineering, California is redefining how we safeguard critical mobility connections,” said California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin. “Energized by Governor Newsom’s commitment to major infrastructure projects, this bold tunnel project in the North Region provides enduring resilience for generations to come.” The landmark tunnel project would mitigate the threat of future long-term closures and save drivers an eight-hour detour through Oregon and inland Northern California should a landslide close the roadway in this area. Repair projects and associated closures create significant impacts for commuting residents, emergency responders, local businesses, commercial freight movement and the tourism industry—vital components to the regional economy in the north state.
• California Budget Crew Sets Eyes on Flood-Prone Highway 37 (KQED). The California Transportation Commission will vote Friday on a $95 million funding bid that would launch the long-delayed overhaul of Highway 37, the flood-prone route linking Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Solano counties. Rep. Mike Thompson, who has directed federal money to the corridor, said the road’s problems have been deferred for decades. Thompson noted that officials had installed traffic barriers known as K-rails years ago to divide the two directions of traffic because a real fix was too expensive at the time. Now, the road is not only inadequate and unsafe but is going underwater. Highway 37 runs close to sea level across the San Pablo Baylands and already faces regular storm closures and permanent flooding risks as the bay rises. Caltrans says the work would be built to hold up against sea level rise projected through 2050.
• ∅ Bay Area officials, labor leaders demand release of $100M for North Bay highway (Local News Matters). Bay Area labor leaders and representatives convened for a press conference Wednesday to call for the release of $100 million in upgrades to Highway 37, a heavily trafficked 21-mile highway that services Sonoma, Marin, Napa and Solano counties. U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), Solano County Supervisor Cassandra James, Napa County Supervisor Belia Ramos, California Alliance for Jobs Executive Director Joshua Arce and Operating Engineers Local 3 members all gave remarks at the press conference, held at Wing and Barrel Ranch in Sonoma County, right off Highway 37. Calls for funding came days ahead of Friday’s California Transportation Commission meeting in San Diego, where members will vote on allocating state funds to the California Department of Transportation for the extensive modernization project.
• California approves plan to prevent Highway 37 from sinking: studies show it could be underwater by 2050 (ABC7 San Francisco). The California Transportation Commission has approved a plan to prevent Highway 37, one of the main routes into Wine Country, from sinking. On Friday, the commission voted in favor of a $100 million modernization project for Highway 37 in Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Solano counties. North Bay communities are preparing early as experts are warning that California could be headed toward a potentially historic El Niño winter. Supporters of the plan said aging infrastructure is contributing to traffic backups throughout the corridor. However, flooding and rising sea levels have emerged as the biggest concerns for the highway.
• Ħ Firestone Boulevard Widened and Adopted (Metro Primary Resources). 1933: Firestone Boulevard, sometimes known as Manchester Avenue, is widened from 40 feet to 74 feet and becomes part of the California state highway system. The road will be one of the principal traffic arteries connecting the Coast Highway, the southerly portion of Los Angeles, and contiguous territory with Anaheim, Orange, and Santa Ana.
• Malibu Begins Public Education Phase for PCH Safety System (Palisades News). The city of Malibu is nearing completion of construction on its Pacific Coast Highway speed safety system and is beginning a public education and outreach campaign ahead of its launch. The system uses lidar and cameras to identify vehicles traveling at least 11 mph over the posted speed limit, according to the city. A 60-day warning period is scheduled to begin in late September 2026. During that period, motorists who meet the speeding threshold will receive warnings but will not face civil penalties. Enforcement is expected to begin in late November. Qualifying violations will result in civil penalties, but the city said the violations will not add points to a driver’s license or affect insurance rates.
• Major LAX Traffic Upgrade Gets $289M In Federal Funding (Los Angeles, CA Patch). Los Angeles International Airport will receive $289 million in federal funding to build a new terminal access road, transportation officials announced Tuesday. The LAX award is part of $870 million in Federal Aviation Administration grants for airport infrastructure and safety projects nationwide. The federal announcement did not identify the LAX project by name, but the funding appears to support LAX’s larger Airfield and Terminal Modernization Program roadway project.
• Fix50 construction nears completion after nearly six years in Sacramento (KCRA). Sacramento’s Fix50 highway project, one of the region’s largest infrastructure undertakings, is nearing completion after nearly six years of construction, bringing visible upgrades and safety improvements to the stretch of highway from the I-5 interchange to Watt Avenue. “What took so long? Did they make a career out of it?” said Paul, a local driver. The project has been ongoing for years, and many drivers are eager for it to be finished. “It has been going on for a long time and I’m ready for it to be done,” said Nicole Weber, another driver. Despite the lengthy timeline, Caltrans officials said the project is not behind schedule.
• L.A. County’s Topanga Canyon Boulevard faces a full closure and lane restrictions amid a $2.75M drainage project (Secret Los Angeles). In SoCal, where getting across town can already feel like a small expedition, staying on top of road closures is essential, especially when a major canyon route is involved. If you’re planning to use Topanga Canyon Boulevard this Friday night, you’ll want to know about a significant closure before you hit the road.
• City Council to Weigh Governance Options for 710 Stub Redevelopment (Pasadena Now). Four years after Pasadena regained 50 acres once destined to become the 710 Freeway, city officials are confronting a question that could shape the property for generations: Who should control the massive redevelopment and make sure the city’s vision survives decades of political and economic change? The City Council on Monday will review recommendations from an Urban Land Institute technical advisory panel that says redevelopment of the former freeway stub will require a long-term governance structure capable of overseeing the public-private partnerships, major infrastructure investments and the city’s restorative justice commitments. The recommendations move the city another step closer to transforming land that once divided neighborhoods into a mix of housing, public spaces, transportation connections and economic development.
• 🎥 California Wiped US 40 Off Its Maps in 1964 — Then Kept Driving It for Sixty Years (YouTube/Old Alignment). In nineteen sixty four, California took a road off its maps.
  Not a back road. United States Route Forty, one of the original federal highways, the main line across the Sierra Nevada, the road that every car entering California from the east had used for almost forty years. When the state published its highway map three years later, the number was simply gone. No renaming ceremony, no last convoy. U.S. Forty became one of the first federal highways in America to be decommissioned outright in a state, and in California it has not been a signed highway since. The road itself never went anywhere. It is still up there, all of it, crossing Donner Summit at seven thousand feet, and on a summer weekend it is busy.
• State grants provide key push for Highway 37 improvements (The Bay Link Blog). The California Transportation Commission (CTC) Friday approved a series of grants totaling more than $300 million to help reduce both congestion and flooding along State Route 37 between Novato and Vallejo while also spurring baylands restoration. These include some $220 million in State Highway Operation and Protection Program (SHOPP) and state General Fund money for the Novato Creek Bridge replacement project plus another $14.1 million for related environmental and storm water mitigation work as well as $62.7 million though the State Transportation Improvement Program and the Local Transportation Climate Adaptation Program and $32.3 million in SHOPP funds for Phase 1 of the Sears Point-to-Mare Island Improvement Project. The funding awards will allow Caltrans to advertise construction contracts for both projects this fall.
• ＄ Nearly $100 million in funding approved for Highway 37 improvements (Times Herald Online). Highway 37 in Vallejo will soon be receiving some major upgrades thanks to the California Transportation Commission unanimously approving nearly $100 million in funding for the first phase of improvements. The improvements are aimed at reducing congestion, increasing safety, and improving the quality of life for North Bay residents. “This is a huge first step in delivering relief to tens of thousands of working people who rely on State Route 37 to get to and from work daily,” said Josh Arce, Executive Director of the California Alliance for Jobs. “We are committed to ensuring that work approved today to improve the Sears Point intersection is successfully performed as we continue to advocate for reducing congestion, increasing safety and improving the quality of life for residents across the entire 37 corridor.”
• Caltrans To Begin Second Phase of the State Route 26/49 Intersection Improvement Project in Calaveras County (Caltrans). The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is preparing to begin the second phase of construction on the State Route 26 (SR-26)/State Route 49 Intersection Control Improvement Project in Calaveras County. Work will include the construction of a single lane roundabout at the intersection of SR-26/49 along with the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) to help monitor live traffic conditions, evaluate roadway operations, and improve response time to traffic incidents. Temporary road closures with traffic detours will be required at various stages of construction for the safety of motorists, roadway workers, and equipment. Beginning next week, crews will start the second phase of construction which includes a long-term full closure of SR-26 from Main Street to SR-49. The full closure of the SR-26/49 intersection (west side) will begin Monday, August 24, at 7:00 a.m. scheduled through Monday, November 9, 2026, at 7:00 a.m. Traffic detours will be in place along SR-12, SR-49, and Campo Seco Turnpike (local traffic) in addition to the existing temporary four-way intersection on SR-49 and Main Street. Construction crews will primarily work day shifts from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The second phase of construction work is scheduled for approximately 55 working days (77 calendar days) – Mondays through Fridays – with completion expected in early November 2026. In addition to weekly traffic advisories and roadside message signs will be placed along the highway to alert motorists of scheduled lane closures.
• Long-awaited project to widen deadly stretch of Highway 41 begins in Fresno County (Hanford Sentinel). Construction has begun on a project to widen and improve a notorious bottleneck section of Highway 41 known for serious crashes and heavy commuter traffic in Fresno County. For $77.2 million, approximately six miles between the Excelsior Avenue Undercrossing in Kings County and Elkhorn Avenue in Fresno County will be converted from a conventional two-lane highway to a divided four-lane expressway. The current two-lane stretch is one of the deadliest roads in Fresno County — after segments of the highway to the north and south were widened into an expressway with two lanes in each direction.
• Caltrans advances $3.5bn Last Chance Grade tunnel into design (The Tunnelling Journal). Caltrans has moved its proposed 1.8km long Last Chance Grade highway tunnel in northern California into detailed design following completion of the project’s environmental approval phase, with construction targeted to begin in 2031. The tunnel will carry US Highway 101 beneath an unstable section of the coastal route in Del Norte County that has been affected by repeated landslides and emergency closures for decades. Caltrans’ selected alternative involves construction of an approximately 1.83km tunnel east of the existing highway, bypassing the most landslide-prone section of Last Chance Grade. The bore would become the longest highway tunnel built by Caltrans.
• Overnight Closures Coming To Major SoCal Freeway: What Long Beach Drivers Should Know (Long Beach, CA Patch). Drivers traveling on the 91 Freeway through Long Beach and neighboring communities could face delays next week as Caltrans plans a series of overnight lane, ramp and connector closures. Several freeway connectors may also close during the work, including connections between SR-91 and the 110 and 605 freeways. The closures are scheduled to begin Monday night, Aug. 24, and continue through Saturday morning, Aug. 29, as crews perform work on a $34 million sign rehabilitation project along a 14.7-mile stretch of State Route 91 between Gardena and Cerritos.
• Caltrans Announces Lane and Ramp Closures on State Route 2 (MyNewsLA). Caltrans work will prompt overnight lane closures and parking restrictions beginning Saturday for a pavement rehabilitation project along state Route 2 in West Los Angeles, Hollywood and Echo Park. Part of a $70.2 million improvement project, the work will take place from Saturday though next Friday on three segments along state Route 2: the Santa Monica Boulevard portion from Federal to Cotner avenues in the Sawtelle District of West L.A.; Santa Monica Boulevard between Wilcox and El Centro avenues in Hollywood; and Alvarado Street near Montana Street in Echo Park, according to Caltrans. Closures are scheduled as follows: …
• Drivers urged to plan around State Route 162 closures in Willows (MSN/KRCR Chico Redding). Motorists traveling through Willows should prepare for daytime closures of State Route 162 as crews complete paving and roadway repairs, according to Caltrans. The highway is scheduled to close from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 19-20 and Aug. 24-25. During those hours, State Route 162 will be closed at Wood and North Tehama streets. The work zone will extend from the railroad tracks through the intersection to North Butte Street. Detours will be available for passenger vehicles. Commercial trucks will need to use an alternate route, and drivers should plan ahead to avoid the closure area.
• Road closure announced for construction of world’s largest wildlife crossing (KTLA). A stretch of roadway will be shut down for construction on the Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 Freeway, which is being called the largest wildlife crossing in the world. Starting Thursday, Agoura Road will be closed between Rondell Street and Hydepark Drive in Agoura Hills from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. No through traffic of any kind, including motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, will be permitted within scheduled work hours. The weekday closure will be in effect through September 11.
• ＄ Troubled bridge on sinking Bay Area highway gets $200 million redo (SF Chronicle). State transportation officials have delegated $220 million to replace a troubled bridge in Marin County: the low concrete span over sinking marshland in Novato Creek. The planned overhaul of Novato Creek Bridge is a key early step in a much larger modernization of Highway 37, which agencies are scrambling to fund before large stretches of freeway wash into the San Pablo Bay. Last week, the California Transportation Commission approved several investments in the first phase, including nearly $100 million for upgrades from Vallejo to Sears Point, as well as the larger award for a new bridge in Novato. This work is urgent, said John Goodwin, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Novato Creek, he said, “is one of the most flood-prone segments” on the 21-mile corridor, which runs from Interstate 80 in Vallejo over a vast wetland expanse to the Highway 101 interchange in Novato. A key route for people who commute daily from homes in Solano County to jobs at North Bay schools, hospitals or construction sites, 37 is also cursed. It’s an artifact of past generations that built infrastructure right through the muddy shoreline, apparently unaware that climate change would cause sea levels to rise.
• The world’s largest wildlife crossing is nearing completion, prompting a two-week closure of this road near L.A. (Secret Los Angeles). The world’s largest wildlife crossing is getting closer to its much-anticipated opening in Southern California. Rising over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills, the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is being built to reconnect wildlife habitat across one of the region’s busiest freeways and give animals a safer route through the Santa Monica Mountains. Now, another phase of construction is underway — and it comes with a temporary road closure for local travelers.
• ＄ Caltrans repaves Highway 17 in Santa Cruz Mountains (Mercury News). Steam rises as a worker uses a road roller on southbound Highway 17 north of Summit Road. The work is part of Caltrans’ State Route 17 Road Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project. Caltrans has begun a pavement preservation project on Highway 17 from Hebard Way in Santa Clara County to the Santa Cruz County Line. The project is designed to “preserve and extend the lifespan of the existing pavement, address failed pavement locations, and enhance ride quality for motorists in both directions.” Similar work occurred in June and July on several miles of Highway 17 in Santa Cruz County. Caltrans is short for the California Department of Transportation. It is the state government agency responsible for designing, building, maintaining and managing the state highway system, intercity rail programs and public transportation facilities across California.
• ＄ Sonoma removes controversial traffic circle for upcoming slurry seal project (Sonoma Index-Tribune). The city of Sonoma has removed a contentious temporary traffic circle at Third Street West and Perkins Street to clear the roadway for the city’s upcoming slurry seal project, officials said Thursday, Aug. 27. Workers dismantled the traffic monitoring device Wednesday morning — at least 12 hours after the start of a tense Sonoma Traffic Committee meeting where residents criticized the circle’s efficacy and safety, as well as the city’s belief that it is a necessary part of its overarching plan to turn Third Street West into a “bicycle boulevard.” While the timing of the traffic circle’s removal might appear related to the Tuesday night committee session and the outpouring of resident objections, city spokesperson Sarah Tracy said Thursday that the circle was temporary and its removal was always part of the project’s original installation and de-installation schedule.
• Will Metro and Caltrans 405 Freeway Widening – through Carson – Really Mean Cleaner Air? (Streetsblog Los Angeles). Metro and Caltrans plan to spend $120+million to add two more lanes to the 405 Freeway through much of the city of Carson. Learn more and give your public comment on the project by attend an in-person Metro hearing tonight at from 6-7:30 p.m. at Carson Events Center at 801 East Carson Street. Metro released the 405 Freeway Wilmington Avenue to Main Street Improvements Project Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR)/Environmental Assessment (EA) earlier this month, on August 5. The agency is accepting DEIR public comments for 45 days; submit yours by Monday, September 21. The DEIR documents, how to submit comments, and additional project and meeting information can be found at Metro’s project page.
• California Invests $2.7 Billion to Improve Highway Safety, Enhance Transit Options and Prepare for a Changing Climate, Says Caltrans (Redheaded Blackbelt). The California Transportation Commission (CTC) has approved $2.7 billion in funding for more than 150 new projects designed to improve travel times, increase multimodal options and strengthen the state’s transportation assets against severe weather and other climate-related threats. These investments align with Governor Gavin Newsom’s build more, faster agenda, delivering critical infrastructure upgrades and creating thousands of jobs across the state. Of the combined total, nearly $1.6 billion is funded by the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) and another $542 million from California’s Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017. […] This month’s list of approved projects includes: …
• Public Feedback Needed On Proposed Highway 49 Project (myMotherLode). Caltrans is seeking public feedback regarding a proposed Highway 49 project that stretches from Jamestown to Sonora. Today begins a month-long comment period by Caltrans District 10 on a prepared draft of the Initial Study with Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Tuolumne 49 Pavement Anchor Project. It proposes rehabilitating and extending the pavement service life of the highway between mile markers 12.8 and 18.8. These repairs comprise cold planing, removing the top layer of asphalt and adding an overlay to increase road longevity and safety. Caltrans reports that the project would improve pedestrian and biker facilities by building sidewalks, Class IV bike lanes, park-and-ride areas, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant curb ramps. They noted that retaining walls will be created as needed to support these enhancements.
• $3.2M Pavement Project Prompts Monthslong Highway 111 Lane Closure Near Palm Springs: Caltrans (Palm Springs, CA Patch). Construction crews will begin a pavement preservation project on State Route 111 near Palm Springs beginning in September that will require a lane closure for several months, the California Department of Transportation announced. One lane will be closed in both directions Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 a.m. as the work is performed. The construction is expected to continue until the end of the year, according to Caltrans. The project extends from the 10 Freeway to just west of Tramway Road and includes roadway resurfacing to improve driving conditions.
• Governor Newsom announces $2.7 billion for 150+ projects to expand and make California’s transportation system more resilient (Governor of California). Governor Gavin Newsom today announced $2.7 billion in funding for more than 150 new projects designed to improve travel times, expand travel options beyond driving, and strengthen the state’s transportation infrastructure assets against severe weather and other climate-driven threats. From stronger infrastructure to expanded transit access, the investments advance the Governor’s Build More, Faster — For All agenda while helping California prepare for a changing climate and keep people and goods moving.
• Ħ 1962 Freeway Map (FB/J. Scott Shannon). I cut this map out of the L.A. Times on February 4, 1962, when I was 7 years old. I’m a month shy of 72 now. So yeah, life-long freeway nut!
  What are your earliest freeway-addict memories?
• ＄ Improving Southern California’s highway system by connecting a network of toll lanes (Daily News | 🎩 M3100). Southern California drivers pay some of the highest gas taxes in the country, and waste too much of that gas sitting in traffic jams. The state spends billions on roads but hasn’t made enough progress improving highways or reducing traffic congestion. The region needs a network of managed lanes, so drivers, businesses, buses and emergency vehicles have congestion-free options for their trips. Managed lanes are variably priced toll lanes added alongside existing freeway lanes. No existing free lanes are tolled. Use of managed lanes is a choice. The free lanes remain, and no drivers are forced to use the toll lanes. Variable pricing helps manage demand, ensuring that managed lanes remain free-flowing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, especially during peak travel periods. Buses, vanpools and emergency vehicles always use managed lanes for free.
• Big Sur wildfires shut Highway 1 again, cutting off classic coastal RV route (RV Travel). RVers who waited years for California’s Highway 1 through Big Sur to fully reopen are “out of luck” again. Two major wildfires have effectively severed the famous coastal highway through Big Sur, making through travel between the Monterey/Carmel area and Cambria impossible. Travelers headed between the two areas are being directed inland to U.S. 101, while campgrounds, state parks and other recreation sites throughout the fire area have closed.

Gribblenation Blog (Tom Fearer)

• Former California State Route 180 in Centerville. Centerville is one of the oldest communities in what is now Fresno County having been founded as Scottsburg in 1854. The Centerville community has historically been tied to the history of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road and the Squaw Valley Road. The Squaw Valley Road would later be known as Dunlap Road and became a component of California State Route 180 in August 1934. By the 1940s the corridor was renamed Kings Canyon Road in reference to Kings Canyon National Park.
• Former California State Route 180 in Minkler. Minkler is a small former railroad siding community founded in 1911 on Kings Canyon Road (formerly Dunlap Road) just east of Byrd Slough. The community of Minkler between 1934 and 2020 was part of the alignment of California State Route 180 which passed by on Kings Canyon Road. In 2020 California State Route 180 was shifted north of Minkler onto a four-lane expressway bypass. This blog serves as a history of California State Route 180 within Minkler and what artifacts of the older alignment can still be found.
• The Jesse Morrow Mountain Derelict (California State Route 180). The Jesse Morrow Mountain derelict is a ruined chimney located on California State Route 180 (Kings Canyon Road) at Postmile 80.90. This chimney was part of a home constructed by the Granite Water Company in 1918. The home would be later purchased by a family out of Sanger in 1928 and moved (sans chimney) to I Street in downtown. This derelict chimney is often adorned with Christmas and seasonal decor by residents of eastern Fresno County.
• Former California State Route 180 in Citrus Cove. Citrus Cove is a small canyon located east of Cove Road in Fresno County which California State Route 180 passes through. Modern California State Route 180 climbs above the orange groves in this canyon via a modern two-lane highway. The original alignment of California State Route 180 is located within the canyon which is now a switchback road passing through the orange groves. This older alignment was in service as California State Route 180 until 1952 and was for years a major barrier for traffic reaching destinations in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
• Old Dunlap Road (former California State Route 180 in Yokuts Valley). When California State Route 180 was commissioned in August 1934 the alignment in took in Sierra Nevada range was very different than from today. The original highway alignment from Squaw Valley (now Yokuts Valley) to east Grant Grove (then part of General Grant National Park) originally followed what is now Ruth Hill Road, Dunlap Road, Pinehurst Road (modern California State Route 245), Dark Canyon Road (partially now Forest Road 14S45). After funding fell through for the planned Kings Canyon Road the was corridor eventually picked up as a 30-mile-long cooperative project between the Division of Highways and Federal Government. Much of current alignment of California State Route 180 bypassing Squaw Valley (now Yokuts Valley) and Dunlap was complete by 1941.
• A “slow, jerky and expensive” drive on Jose Basin Road. A drive along Jose Basin Road above the San Joaquin River Canyon of Fresno County is what one might call a “slow, jerky and expensive” affair. Jose Basin Road is approximately 9.6 miles in length and is overlaid atop the grade of the San Joaquin & Eastern Railroad.
• Frankwood Avenue (Fresno County). Frankwood Avenue is an approximately 11-mile roadway in eastern Fresno County. Frankwood Avenue originates at 10th Street in the city of Reedley and terminates at Piedra Road a short distance after crossing the Alta Main Canal.
• Italian Bar Road (Fresno County). Italian Bar Road is an approximately six-mile switchback highway located in the San Joaquin River Canyon of Fresno County. Italian Bar Road begins at the southern rim of the San Joaquin River Canyon at Jose Basin Road and terminates to the northwest at the Italian Bar Bridge over Redinger Lake.
• George Smith Road (Fresno County). George Smith Road is an approximately 5.5-mile rural highway located in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Fresno County. As presently configured George Smith Road begins at California State Route 180 (Kings Canyon Road) in Yokuts Valley (previously Squaw Valley) and winds above a ridge overlooking Shannon Valley to Ennis Road.
• Ennis Road (Fresno County). Ennis Road is an approximately four-mile-long rural cutoff through Shannon Valley the Sierra Nevada foothills of Fresno County. Ennis Road connects Ruth Hill Road (former California State Route 180) southward to Sand Creek Road. What is now Ennis Road was originally developed by Fresno County in the 1910s as the Squaw Valley Cutoff. The modern roadway name first appears on 1930-era highway maps of Fresno County.
• Whitaker Forest Drive and Redwood Canyon Road. Whitaker Forest Drive is an approximately 13-mile rural highway located in the Sierra Nevada range of Tulare County. Whitaker Forest Drive begins at California State Route 245 at the community of Badger. From Badger the course of Whitaker Forest Road is maintained as Tulare County Mountain Road 465 for nine miles to the end of the pavement near Eshom Creek Campground.