Latest news with #Caltrans
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Reed Avenue off-ramp closure to begin for rehabilitation project
( — The scheduled 55-hour closure of the Reed Avenue off-ramp is set to begin Friday night and will end Monday morning as part of the $280 million I-80 and Highway 50 Pavement Rehabilitation Project in Yolo County, according to Caltrans. Video Above: Levee upgrades begin final phase in Sutter County From 9 p.m. on Friday to 4 a.m. on Monday, the Reed Avenue off-ramp, going toward IKEA on eastbound I-80, will be closed in West Sacramento. Caltrans reminds commuters to plan, expect delays and to use the signed detour routes. Drivers who miss the detour will have to exit at West El Camino Avenue and turn around onto westbound I-80 back to Reed Avenue, said Caltrans. Annual Capitol City Classic Tattoo Convention visits Sacramento The extended ramp improves workers' safety and minimizes the duration of the project, according to officials. The possibility of a schedule change is taken into consideration with weather, availability of materials or other unexpected events in mind. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Notorious stretch of California highway dubbed ‘Blood Alley' where James Dean died is to close for safety work
A stretch of California highway where actor James Dean died will temporarily shut down. The road, known as 'Blood Alley,' spans 20 miles of Highway 41 and connects the state to the Central Valley, Paso Robles and Kettlemen City. The high volume of traffic and the narrow lanes have been blamed for a high number of accidents. Authorities will be carrying out construction on the highway for five days from June 9 to 13. The work will extend from the interchange of highways 41 and 46 near Cholame, about 20 miles east to Reef Station near the junction of state Route 33, according to SFGate. The Independent has emailed Caltrans, the state's transportation authority, for more information. Jim Shivers, a Caltrans spokesperson, told the San Francisco Chronicle the new works were the latest effort to make the stretch of road safer. He said: '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. It's a major upgrade, it's a major safety enhancement.' In 2002, the San Francisco Chronicle reported 54 people had died on the stretch of highway, with James Dean being one of them. An additional 690 people were injured in the same spot. On September 30, 1955, the 24-year-old actor – who had recently achieved superstar status with his movies Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden and Giant – got into his Porsche 550 Spyder and started driving up the coast toward Salinas. Around 5.45p.m., he passed through the intersection in Cholame, about 227 miles from San Francisco. Ford Tudor, a student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, turned onto the road and struck Dean's car. The actor's vehicle crumpled on impact and Dean died from severe injuries, including a broken neck. He became the first actor to receive a posthumous Academy Award acting nomination, and later received a second. The site of the crash has become a tourist attraction, featuring a sculpture of the actor. Caltrans has spent two decades working to improve safety conditions on the road. The State Route 46 Corridor Improvement Project expanded the number of lanes and added a new interchange. Officials believe the established detour will be operable through the improvement efforts. Drivers heading west from the Central Valley are being advised to take Highway 41 to state Route 33 south to Highway 46 west before rejoining Highway 41. Officials say they are optimistic the work will be completed ahead of July 4.
The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Notorious stretch of California highway dubbed ‘Blood Alley' where James Dean died is to close for safety work
A stretch of California highway where actor James Dean died will temporarily shut down. The road, known as 'Blood Alley,' spans 20 miles of Highway 41 and connects the state to the Central Valley, Paso Robles and Kettlemen City. The high volume of traffic and the narrow lanes have been blamed for a high number of accidents. Authorities will be carrying out construction on the highway for five days from June 9 to 13. The work will extend from the interchange of highways 41 and 46 near Cholame, about 20 miles east to Reef Station near the junction of state Route 33, according to SFGate. The Independent has emailed Caltrans, the state's transportation authority, for more information. Jim Shivers, a Caltrans spokesperson, told the San Francisco Chronicle the new works were the latest effort to make the stretch of road safer. He said: '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. It's a major upgrade, it's a major safety enhancement.' In 2002, the San Francisco Chronicle reported 54 people had died on the stretch of highway, with James Dean being one of them. An additional 690 people were injured in the same spot. On September 30, 1955, the 24-year-old actor – who had recently achieved superstar status with his movies Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden and Giant – got into his Porsche 550 Spyder and started driving up the coast toward Salinas. Around 5.45p.m., he passed through the intersection in Cholame, about 227 miles from San Francisco. Ford Tudor, a student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, turned onto the road and struck Dean's car. The actor's vehicle crumpled on impact and Dean died from severe injuries, including a broken neck. He became the first actor to receive a posthumous Academy Award acting nomination, and later received a second. The site of the crash has become a tourist attraction, featuring a sculpture of the actor. Caltrans has spent two decades working to improve safety conditions on the road. The State Route 46 Corridor Improvement Project expanded the number of lanes and added a new interchange. Officials believe the established detour will be operable through the improvement efforts. Drivers heading west from the Central Valley are being advised to take Highway 41 to state Route 33 south to Highway 46 west before rejoining Highway 41. Officials say they are optimistic the work will be completed ahead of July 4.
CBS News
2 days ago
- General
- CBS News
California bill seeks to place speed cameras in road construction zones
A bill under consideration in the California legislature aims to prevent Caltrans worker deaths and injuries, by placing automated speed cameras in highway construction zones. Assembly Bill 289 by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) would establish a pilot program that would place cameras at up to 75 construction zones in the state. Haney spoke about the measure at a news conference off Interstate 80 near Davis on Wednesday, surrounded by construction workers. "This bill is about saving lives and it's about valuing the workers who risk their lives to build California's infrastructure," he said. Haney discussed the danger highway construction workers face on the job, noting that 9,500 crashes took place in the state's work zones in 2021, leading to 73 deaths and nearly 3,000 injuries. In 2023, there were more than 100 vehicle intrusions into highway work sites, which led to injuries and even deaths. "This isn't just tragic, it's preventable. And we have a responsibility to fix it and protect both workers and drivers," Haney added. Haney also noted the success of a pilot program that placed speed enforcement cameras in several cities, including San Francisco. "Speeds are going down, crashes are being reduced and behavior is changing," he said. According to the text of the measure, speeding drivers would face fines starting at $50 for driving 11 to 15 miles per hour above the posted speed limit, with increasing fines for higher violations. Drivers caught going 100 mph or faster in a work zone would receive a fine of $500. Haney said the bill includes fine reductions and payment plans for lower-income drivers. The bill prohibits the speed cameras from using facial recognition and limits data use. If approved, California would join 16 other states that have already placed speed cameras in work zones. Haney said Maryland and Pennsylvania, which already have the cameras in construction zones, have seen dramatic reductions in speeding and crashes. AB289 has passed out of three Assembly committees with bipartisan support and is headed to the Assembly floor.
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.
