Latest news with #CaliforniaDepartmentofTransportation
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Stretch of California highway with a bloody history to close for repairs
An infamous 20-mile stretch of Central California highway will close for five days in June for construction, according to the California Department of Transportation. Caltrans will close Highway 41 between Cholame and Reef Station from June 9-13, Caltrans said. Drivers traveling in either direction on the east-west road can detour on Highways 46 and 33 but should expect delays. Caltrans said the closure stems from construction of a new highway interchange in Cholame (San Luis Obispo County), roughly 85 miles northwest of Bakersfield. Workers will replace a previously dangerous intersection with a modern, elevated ramp to connect highways 46 and 41, said Jim Shivers, a Caltrans spokesperson. 'There will be some lengthy detours, which we have acknowledged. The flip side of that is we'll have a brand new interchange opening up soon,' Shivers said. 'It's a major upgrade, it's a major safety enhancement.' The interchange is also known as the James Dean Memorial Junction, a tourist attraction that features a cafe and sculpture in memory of the 24-year-old Hollywood movie star who died in a crash there in 1955. It was far from the only fatal crash on the treacherous roadway, which reportedly came to be known as 'Blood Alley.' The Chronicle previously reported that dozens of people had died and hundreds more had been injured near the interchange. For two decades, Caltrans has been working on the State Route 46 Corridor Improvement Project, which aims to minimize fatal accidents, improve safety and reduce congestion between Paso Robles and Cholame, according to the agency.
Boston Globe
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Boston Globe
The Pacific Coast Highway, a mythic route always in need of repair
Since building began on the first parts of the highway more than a century ago, sections of the route, which runs more than 650 miles from south of Los Angeles to Northern California, have been closed, over and over again. In some places, chunks of the road have slipped into the ocean. In others, more than 1 million tons of earth have barreled onto the highway, slicing it to pieces. Bridges have failed. Rainstorms have flooded the road with mud. Residents have been left marooned. Tourists have been shut out. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Recently, consecutive landslides in Big Sur, a 90-mile region along the Central Coast, have closed parts of the road for two years, four months and counting. And in January, the Palisades fire, which burned thousands of homes, shuttered an 11-mile stretch of the highway connecting the Los Angeles area with the beachside city of Malibu. Advertisement That stretch reopened on Friday, but there is no timeline for reopening the road in Big Sur. The California Department of Transportation, known as Caltrans, said that the state had spent more than $370 million on fixing the highway after extreme weather events in the past seven years. Prolonged closures in 2017 cost businesses along the route more than $500 million, according to the state's tourism agency, Visit California. Advertisement New York has skyscrapers. Arizona has a canyon. Mississippi has a river. California has a coast — and one major highway to see it from. Building the road on unstable terrain took ingenuity. Fixing it in a world being rocked by climate change may take even more. In early May, a four-day trip of about 600 miles along much of the highway from Los Angeles to San Francisco (passing through a burn zone and circumventing a landslide) revealed residents struggling with the closures and contemplating the future of the route. It is officially called California State Route 1, but is commonly referred to as the Pacific Coast Highway, or Highway 1, and was built bit by bit, beginning in the early 1900s. In 1964, it was merged into a single highway. The road winds through steep granite bluffs and yawns open in salt-worn beach towns where trailers with American flags stake their place in the sand. Workers poke sticks into the earth to measure the rate at which it is moving. Tractor-trailers haul car-size boulders up the narrow pass. One of the drivers, Juan Ramirez, each day carries two or three very large rocks from near Fresno, more than 150 miles inland, to the coast. 'It's a long way,' he said. 'Four hours this way, and then, four hours out.' The boulders are used to build a retaining wall intended to hold back the force of the Pacific Ocean — one small part of the effort to keep the highway open. It's a herculean task. Increasingly, it is becoming Sisyphean. A long, perfectly-peeling point break makes Malibu Lagoon State Beach, directly off the highway, among the most well-known surfing spots in the world. Advertisement But on a morning in early May, just a few silhouettes bobbed in the water. To the east, the highway, normally four lanes along this stretch, was down to two lanes that were open only to residents, workers, and emergency services. Beach parking lots had become depots for bulldozers. Traffic crawled past charred debris. Helene Henderson, the founder of Malibu Farm, a restaurant and cafe on the pier, had no idea construction was planned that day on her doorstep. 'Because a fire is not enough,' she said. The restaurant, ordinarily buzzing even on a weekday, was empty, and Henderson said that 100 staff members had no working hours. In the wake of the fire, the closure of the highway, which is the spine of the city, had wrought a second economic disaster, said Barbara Bruderlin, CEO of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce. 'It's strangling all the businesses,' she said. 'One by one, they're beginning to close.' Though the road is reopening, many may continue to struggle. Jefferson Wagner, a stuntman and former mayor of Malibu, said that sales at his surf shop, Zuma Jay Surfboards, were down nearly 50 percent. His store, just outside a road closure checkpoint, had become a makeshift post office for businesses beyond it, with packages piling up on the floor. 'Without this highway,' Wagner said, 'this town is lost.' In the southern part of Big Sur, the road narrows to a two-lane ribbon that is the only major route in or out. On the one side is a dizzying cliff. On the other is a precipitous plunge into the ocean down jagged rocks. Advertisement Residents expect isolation, and ensure they have food and gas for the times they become trapped. For weeks in 2023, landslides to both the north and south cut off a 20-mile stretch of the coast. By the time officials cleared the highway, another cascade with earth to fill hundreds of Olympic-size swimming pools had buried another stretch. The back-to-back slides have devastated many of the community's small inns and stores and are testing even the most hardened residents. 'It's been closed, closed, and closed, and closed, and closed,' said Surge Withrow, 52, a general contractor. It used to take him 10 minutes to drop his children at the school bus. Now it takes him at least an hour each way. Big Sur has long lured writers, monks, and others seeking transcendence — as well as millions of tourists a year. In the 1950s, writer Henry Miller, who lived there for nearly two decades, was already lamenting the crowds that threatened to turn Big Sur into a 'bonanza.' Even with the closure, the northern part of the coast, which remains easily accessible from San Francisco, continues to grapple with the longer-term impact of overtourism. There has always been a complex relationship between Big Sur and its visitors — and the highway that gets them in and out. 'It is a constant project to keep this road open,' said Magnus Torén, director of the Henry Miller Memorial Library in Big Sur. At some distant time it might become untenable, he added. But perhaps there was a silver lining: Without people, the coast could be preserved. Advertisement 'I never thought of this before,' he added, 'but how wonderful that would be.' This article originally appeared in
E&E News
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- E&E News
States sue Trump administration over effort to block EV chargers
California is leading a lawsuit against the Trump administration's efforts to block a $5 billion effort to build electric vehicle charging stations across the country. California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D), Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), the California Department of Transportation and the California Energy Commission planned to announce the lawsuit at a press conference Wednesday. The suit said the administration is unlawfully withholding billions of dollars that were approved by bipartisan majorities in Congress for EV charging infrastructure. Advertisement The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in February issued a directive to thwart the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula program, which is aimed at expanding EV charging nationwide. The suspension halted the approval of new state EV infrastructure plans and froze the distribution of federal funds to states.
Business Wire
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- Business Wire
Granite Enhances Roadside Safety with Upgrades to Coachella Valley Rest Area
WATSONVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Granite (NYSE:GVA) has been awarded an approximately $38 million contract by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to upgrade both eastbound and westbound segments of the Cactus City Rest Area near Coachella, CA. Project funding is to come from state and federal sources and will be included in Granite's second-quarter CAP. Project scope includes demolition of existing structures, earthwork, grading, new drainage installation, ramp and parking lot paving, and new facilities construction. Granite's nearby Desert Cities Asphalt Plant will provide 21,000 tons of hot mix asphalt (HMA) for parking lots and ramps. 'Granite is expanding and diversifying our portfolio of similar projects,' said Bill Moore, Granite Vice President of Regional Operations. 'Recently, we have embarked on a comparable project at the John Wilkie Rest Area on Interstate 40, further solidifying our expertise in improving roadside amenities.' The project is located 20 miles from Granite's regional office and asphalt plant, serving as an anchor job for the Coachella Valley market. This initiative is part of Granite's ongoing efforts to upgrade roadside rest areas, providing clean and safe spaces for travelers to rest and recuperate, thereby enhancing travel safety along this stretch of desert highway. Construction is expected to begin in July 2025 and be completed in September 2026. About Granite Granite is America's Infrastructure Company™. Incorporated since 1922, Granite (NYSE:GVA) is one of the largest diversified construction and construction materials companies in the United States as well as a full-suite civil construction provider. Granite's Code of Conduct and strong Core Values guide the Company and its employees to uphold the highest ethical standards. Granite is an industry leader in safety and an award-winning firm in quality and sustainability. For more information, visit the Granite website, and connect with Granite on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
405 Freeway in Sepulveda Pass: Major repairs planned in multi-year project
LOS ANGELES - A portion of the 405 Freeway is getting a makeover. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) recently announced a major roadway rehabilitation project for the 405 Freeway, spanning from Van Nuys to Westwood. What we know Caltrans plans to invest approximately $143.7 million over four years to rehabilitate pavement and improve safety features along the 405 Freeway. The project will cover 92 lane miles from Victory Boulevard to Wilshire Boulevard, including upgrades to guardrails, culverts, and ADA curb ramps. SUGGESTED: 405 Freeway pursuit: Man taken into custody following brief morning police chase Scheduled to begin in spring/summer 2025, the project is expected to be complete by winter 2029. By the numbers 92 lane miles of pavement will be rehabilitated. 6,400 feet of Metal Beam Guardrail will be upgraded. 10 culverts will be restored or replaced. 10 ADA curb ramps will be upgraded. 98 sign panels and two full-span overhead sign structures will be replaced. What's next Caltrans will be hosting a virtual meeting with a project presentation on Thursday, April 24 at 6 p.m. You can register to attend online. Residents and businesses near the construction area may experience noise, vibrations, and dust. Caltrans advises checking the Caltrans Quickmap for current road conditions and closures. Drivers are reminded to "Be Work Zone Alert" and "Slow for the Cone Zone." The Source Information for this story is from a press release published by Caltrans on April 10, 2025.
