Headlines About California Highways – April 2025

This the first of May. You know what that means: The Morris Dancers are out bringing out the sun, the Queen is out singing about lust, and, of course, it is time for Highway Headlines. This is the last piece of getting caught up: The highway page updates have just been posted, and there’s a new episode of the podcast up with a bit of Freberg in it. All that’s left are these headlines.

The podcast continues on a slightly slower schedule because of travel and such. Tom and I are in the process of scheduling the recording of 3.11 on US 6, and we’re beginning to plot out the inter-season bonus episodes. We’re thinking of one based on Tom’s talk to the Fresno Flats Museum on the history of the highways around Oakhurst, and one talking about the Caltrans History Library. Bonus episodes give me time to work on writing Season 4. The first episode of Season 4 should be a bear: Route 8, which means with dealing with the history of I-8 and the former US 80.

It looks like the regular audience is between 60-70 folks, and I’d love to get that number up. You can help. Please tell your friends about the podcast, “like”, “♥”, or “favorite” it, and give it a rating in your favorite podcatcher. For those that hear the early episodes, the sound quality of the episodes does get better — we were learning. If you know sound editing, feel free to give me advice (I use Audacity to edit). 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 episode has been posted this month:

• CA RxR 3.09: I-5: Former US 99W. Episode 3.09 continues our exploration of I-5 with the segment from Sacramento to Red Bluff, which primarily incorporates the former LRN 7 / US 99W routing between Woodland and Red Bluff, and a new routing that roughly followed LRN 238, then LRN 50 and LRN 232 between Sacramento and Woodland (near former Sign Route 16 and Sign Route 24). We talk about this history of this segment, as well as some discussion of historical routings in Natomas, Woodland, Williams, Willows, Corning, and Red Bluff. Our exploration of I-5 finishes in Episode 3.10, where we explore the former LRN 3/US 99 segment between Red Bluff and the Oregon Border. (Spotify for Creators)
• CA RxR 3.10: I-5: Gateway to Oregon. Episode 3.10 completes our exploration of I-5, looking at the segment that was former US 99, LRN 3, between Red Bluff and the Oregon Border. Along the way, we visit Red Bluff, Anderson and Redding, the Lake Shasta Area, Dunsmuir, Mt. Shasta, Weed, Yreka, and run into a California Agricultural Inspector who was trapped in a bottle by a witch. Our next episode will move us to the next highway, looking at US 6 and all things Route 6 in California. (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 April.

Key

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

Highway Headlines

• New Data Sheds Light on Caltrans Projects (CalBike). CalBike supported the Caltrans Data Bill, SB 695, in 2023. Starting January 1, 2026, the bill requires Caltrans to post information about projects from the prior fiscal year. But first, the new law tasked Caltrans with releasing project stats going back to 2018. CalBike has reviewed the data, which showed Caltrans was reluctant to install protected bikeways while installing more paint-only bikeways. Caltrans built 554 new highway miles over the period covered by this data, at a time when California needs to reduce, not increase, vehicle miles traveled. At the same time, the agency built just 160 miles of bikeways, more than half of which were Class 3 lanes where bike riders share the lane with motor vehicle traffic.
• Highway 198 and Lovers Lane rehabilitation project underway in Visalia (ABC30 Fresno). Lovers Lane in Visalia is getting a facelift with Caltrans’ rehabilitation project from the Highway 198 intersection to Houston Avenue and down to McAuliff Street. Locals say the improvements are welcome as the heavily traveled road has been in need of some care. Jabed Khan lives in the area, he shared a bicycle camera video with Action News of his weekly rides with Southern Sierra Cyclists.
• Caltrans seeking public input on Route’s 96 and 169 (KDRV Newswatch 12). Caltrans District 1 and Caltrans District 2 are asking the community for input as they are working on a plan to improve evacuation preparedness on Routes 96 and 169. They say it’s crucial for wildfire safety and climate resilience. This proposed project will focus on vegetation management, erosion control, rockfall mitigation, and enhanced traffic systems. Such as electronic signage and emergency communication devices, to better protect us from extreme weather and wildfires.
• Caltrans: State invests nearly $100 million in Mendocino County projects (The Willits News). The California Transportation Commission allocated $1 billion recently for projects across the state that will “improve safety and enhance the state’s vast network of streets and highways,” including nearly $100 million for projects in Mendocino County, the California Department of Transportation reported. […] Included in the approved projects are:
• Caltrans allocates new safety funding for Mendocino County projects (MSN/Fort Bragg Advocate News). On Monday, March 24, Caltrans District 1 announced upcoming projects financed by its allotment of the state-wide $1 billion that the California Transportation Commission has set aside for new infrastructure projects across the state. […] Three projects were approved for Mendocino County. About $83 million in SB 1 funds is for Route 1 near Westport, south of Hillcrest Terrace. An existing retaining wall will be extended, and a de-watering system will be constructed due to damage from a series of storms in November of 2024.
• Clinic Wins Rare Appeal in California Highway Expansion Case (Yale Law School). On March 12, Friends of Calwa Inc. and Fresno Building Healthy Communities — community organizations that advocate for the health and well-being of residents in South Fresno, California — secured a rare victory on their petition for a writ of mandate to the California Court of Appeal. The victory marks a significant step forward in a long-running legal saga over a planned expansion of an interstate highway that cuts through South Fresno. The two groups are represented by the Environmental Justice Law and Advocacy Clinic, part of the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization at Yale Law School.
• 56-Hour Weekend Closures Set to Begin for Rio Vista Bridge (Independent Voice). The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is advising motorists of six scheduled weekend closures of the Rio Vista Bridge (Helen Madere Memorial Bridge) on State Route 12 (SR 12) for ongoing repairs. This $27.2 million project is funded through the Bridge Rehabilitation and Replacement Program and will require multiple 5 [something]  The six-hour weekend closures for the work to be completed because of the limited width of the bridge to allow for heavy equipment access. [Note: They might have meant 5 6-hour weekend closures. Let’s bemoan the loss of copy editors]
• Caltrans To Host Public Open House for Ferguson Rock Shed Project (Caltrans). The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is preparing to host a series of open house events in Mariposa County for the Ferguson Rock Shed Project. As Caltrans begins preparations for construction of the next phase for the Ferguson Project, these open house events are designed to share key updates and project information with the public.

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