Headlines About California Highways – June 2025

June: The time of transition. We transition from Spring into Summer in June. I just transitioned into retirement. My daughter is transitioning into post-doctoral life at Washington University in St. Louis. My M-I-L just passed away; her spirit is reunited with her beloved Jay. But while some things transition, the rhythm of life goes on, reminding us to move forward. One of those reminders is the monthly highway headlines post, because work on California’s highways never finishes.

The podcast continues, albeit on a slightly slower schedule while I work on Season 4. In June, we got out the last episode of Season 3, covering all things Route 7. We hope to record a few lower-effort bonus episodes over the summer, before starting up on Season 4 in September. 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. 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. Share the podcast on Facebook groups, and in your Bluesky and Mastodon communities. 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 3.12: Route 7: From Long Beach to the Border. Episode 3.12 brings Season 3 to a close, modulo our bonus episodes. In Episode 3.12, we explore all things Route 7. As is our tradition, we start by looking into the 7th state highway, the Kings River Canyon Road, and LRN 7, which included portions of US 40 and US 99W. We then turn our attention to various incarnations of Route 7: Sign Route 7, both the section along the Eastern Sierras that is now US 395 and US 6 and the section that became Sepulveda Blvd in Los Angeles; 1964-1981 Route 7, which was the Long Beach Freeway before it was renumbered into I-710; and the current Route 7, which is a small border connection route near a new entry point near Calexico. We’ll then be taking a short break, during which there will be some bonus episodes. We’ll pick up in the fall with Season 4, which will cover Route 8 through Route 14. I’m also going to be working on improving the sound quality of the podcast once I retire in July. (Spotify for Podcasters)

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 June.

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

• ＄ How California’s road signs have influenced the nation and what’s new (Orange County Register). On the road: The Bureau of Transportation Statistics estimates that 91% of summer trips will be via car and 250 to 499 miles each way. Today we look at our roads. Signs of the times. Originally, California’s road signs were black with white lettering, but the state changed them after a federal rule was extended to the states. A federal study found that blue-and-gold and black-and-white signs were less visible at night. White-and-green signs retain the desired contrast at the longest distance. [Note: This article was originally published by Kurt in June 2017, and the essence was captured back into these pages here. When I saw this republishing, I dropped Kurt a note (indicating that the reference to my pages still needed correction), and he noted: “The short week put me in a bind so I took what I had and added a bunch more.” – DPF]
• San Diego aging highways to undergo $623M in upgrades (CBS8 San Diego). Major construction projects are set to begin on some of San Diego County’s busiest highways this fall, as Caltrans launches what officials call the largest freeway investment in the region since these roads were originally built in the 1960s and 70s. The California Department of Transportation announced Tuesday it will dedicate $623 million in state and federal funding for five highway projects targeting the county’s most heavily traveled corridors, including Interstate 5, Interstate 805, and State Route 78. “The work we will do over the next two years may not be as glamorous, but it’s certainly essential work that keeps our transportation system in good repair,” said Ann Fox, Caltrans District 11 director, during a news conference.
• Caltrans begins $623 million of work to improve I-5, I-805, Route 78 (Times of San Diego). Caltrans held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday to highlight five major freeway improvement projects throughout San Diego County totaling $623 million. The projects on Interstate 5, Route 78 and Interstate 805 will address pavement, improve drainage culverts, and upgrade traffic operations and communications. “These investments support Caltrans’ mission to build and maintain a transportation system that serves Californians now and decades into the future,” said Ann Fox, Caltrans District 11 director.
• Sepulveda Transit Corridor – Draft EIR (LA Metro). Welcome to the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project Draft Environmental Impact Report. This site provides a full digital copy of the Draft Environmental Impact Report. The Sepulveda Corridor is a vital link for the communities of greater Los Angeles, connecting residents in the San Fernando Valley to the Westside’s bustling employment hubs and cultural landmarks, such as Westwood, UCLA, and Century City. For many families, workers, and students, this route is key to accessing jobs, education, and opportunities that shape daily life. More than just a major travel route, the corridor serves as an essential connection for people across western Los Angeles County, helping them bridge neighborhoods and access vital resources in a region that is ever-growing and increasingly interconnected. The natural barrier created by the Santa Monica Mountains makes traveling between the San Fernando Valley and the Westside difficult and slow. Interstate 405 (I-405) through the Sepulveda Pass is one of the most congested corridors in the country, and transit service between the San Fernando Valley and the Westside is limited. Each weekday, more than 400,000 trips cross the Sepulveda Pass (Metro, 2019a), and a typical San Fernando Valley commuter loses 59 hours per year to traffic delays just from the evening drive home on I-405 between Wilshire Boulevard and Ventura Boulevard (INRIX, 2024). The Project would add a critical regional connection to the transportation network, linking the San Fernando Valley with the Westside and providing a reliable, fast alternative to the congested 405 freeway. The Project would: …
• Caltrans begins projects across San Diego freeways, state routes (NBC 7 San Diego). More than $600 million in road projects are getting started across three major San Diego freeways and state routes. “Over the next two years, we ask for motorists’ patience,” Ann Fox, Caltrans District 11 director, told NBC 7 on Friday during a ceremonial groundbreaking for the projects at Dorothy Petway Neighborhood Park. The agency will complete five freeway improvement projects across portions of Interstate 805, Interstate 5 and state Route 78. For some commuters in the North County, they may have already noticed construction getting underway. “You’ll see that construction happening along Interstate 805, you’ll see signs talking about future work coming up on ramps up and down the I-5 corridor. We do have some early work that will start along state Route 78,” Fox said.
• Eastbound and Westbound- SR-12 Solano County Roadway improvement project (Caltrans). Caltrans is scheduled to begin construction on both directions of State Route 12 (SR-12) in Solano County near Suisun City from Lawler Ranch Parkway to Shiloh Road. Map location for Solano County Roadway improvement project on of Eastbound and Westbound State Route 12 near Suisun City from Lawler Ranch Parkway to Shiloh Road. Workers will overlay new asphalt, replace culverts, build bridge rails, and install median barriers. Eastbound and westbound lanes of SR-12 will be subject to one-way traffic control. Only one lane will be open at a time, with traffic alternating directions through the work zone.
• ‘Out of necessity’: Why the drive to Tahoe takes twice as long right now (SF Gate). California travelers are facing lengthy and burdensome traffic delays while driving Sacramento’s major freeways, as Caltrans continues work on several major projects. Drivers are experiencing significant construction delays on Highway 50 and Interstate 80 because of three simultaneous capital projects: the I-80 Pavement Rehabilitation project, the Yolo 80 Corridor Improvements project and the Fix50 project. The collective $650 million in funding for the projects goes toward work that includes the replacement of decades-old concrete, upgrading lane barriers and bridge railings and adding carpool lanes.
• News Release: New $116 Million Butte City Bridge Improves Safety and Connectivity on State Route 162 (Caltrans). Caltrans, along with local and state officials, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to celebrate the completion of the new State Route 162 (SR 162) bridge and viaduct near Butte City. This new $116 million bridge replaced a 77-year-old structure with a safer, modern span built to current seismic standards. Funded through a combination of federal and state sources, including $15.1 million from Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, this project enhances regional mobility and long-term safety across the Sacramento River.
• Sacramento’s Fix 50 project completion postponed to 2026 (ABC 10 Sacramento). The Fix 50 construction project completion date has been pushed back a year, as officials say areas require deeper fixes than initially anticipated. Fix 50 is one of several road projects happening around the Sacramento area, where Caltrans has now advised commuters to leave an extra 30 minutes early to deal with the created congestion. The project was funded to add HOV lanes and update the pavement on US 50 from the I-5 interchange to the Watt Avenue interchange. According to Caltrans, the initial proposal for the construction began back in 2016 and it now won’t be completed until July 2026.

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