cahwyguy | Headlines About California Highways

Ah, August. The waning days of summer. But between vacations with crappy Internet (Welk Resort, in Escondido, I’m looking at you), dealing with medical issues (my wife’s knee replacement, plus hassles with PBMs), it has been far from quiet. Again, I’ll recommend to folks the excellent Arm and a Leg podcast, which explores the cost of healthcare, and what you can do about it. But there have been good things happening in August: there’s been a lot of positive energy, and indicators that I care about are trending in the right direction. As always, if you feel the same, feel free to follow me on Facebook (I only friend folks I know in real life).

The Westhost issues have calmed down. I’m still interested in changing hosting sites, but the issue is on the back burner right now as things are already paid for a while, and things are working.

But the heat is on. It’s getting to be the hot part of summer here in Southern California. The political silly season is heating up, as we get barraged with campaign ads, texts looking for political donations, and back and forth on many issues. But stay cool. I save politics for FB; this post focuses on headlines about California Highways that I’ve seen over the last month. It also serves as fodder for the updates to my California Highways site, 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. Speaking of updates to the California Highways site: These are almost done: I just need to finish incorporating this headline post and review AARoads, and they should be able to generate and post.

I’m also still looking for opinions on Medicare Advantage plus Medicare Supplement Plans: specifically, the Anthem Medicare Plus PPO with Senior Rx Plus Medicare Advantage Plan (as Implemented for Aerospace Retirees: See (1) Get to Know Your Group Plan; (2) Plan Summary; (3) last year’s Open Enrollment Guide) vs. a Medicare Supplement Plan.

The podcast continues apace. I’m still writing the Season 3 episodes, and once I’m done with the highway page updates, I’ll pick up writing again with the episode on US 6. Our bonus episode on Auto Trails went up in mid-August. Please tell your friends about the podcast, “like”, “♥”, or “favorite” it, and give it a rating in your favorite podcatcher. Yes, 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 (once it comes back) , the show’s page on Spotify for Podcasters, or you can subscribe through your favorite podcatching app or via the RSS feeds (CARxR, Spotify for Podcasters) . The following episodes have been posted this month:

CA RxR 2.15: Bonus – Auto Trails. In this episode, we explore the auto trails that were in California before we started having signed numbered highways. Auto Trails discussed include (a) trails that are maintained today—El Camino Real, De Anza Trail, Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, and the Pony Express National Historic Trail. We spends most of the time on the major historic auto trails: Lincoln Highway, Pacific Highway, National Old Trails Road, Old Spanish Trail, and the Arrowhead Trail. Other trails discussed include the Atlantic-Pacific Highway, Bankhead Highway, California to Banff Highway, Dixie Overland Highway, Lee Highway, Lone Star Trail, Midland Trail, New Santa Fe Trail, National Park to Park Highway, Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway, Santa Fe Trail, and the Victory Highway. (Spotify for Podcasters)

Well, you should now be up to date. Here are the headlines that I found about California’s highways for August. The summer doldrums appear to be here, as there aren’t as many articles as usual.

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

Highway 41 reopens with new Kings River Bridge completion (Tracy Press). A project five years in the making that required the closure of a vital travel route for six months is officially complete. In a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 1, County Board of Supervisors, Caltrans directors, and the California Highway Patrol christened the brand new Kings River Bridge and announced the reopening of State Route 41, which ferries traffic from Stratford and the surrounding communities to the Central Coast. The bridge project was necessary to repair failing supports and a road surface that was showing signs of deterioration that presented a significant risk to vehicular traffic, according to authorities.
Heading to the Central Coast? Highway 41 is open! (MSN/KMPH). Highway 41 is back open to travelers driving between the Central Valley and the Central Coast. The highway has been closed since February while crews replaced the Stratford Kings River Bridge and did pavement rehabilitation from Quail Avenue to Nevada Avenue and from Nevada Avenue to State Route 198. A detour was in place, but it added about 30 minutes to travel time. The Stratford Kings River Bridge replacement was needed to address the aging infrastructure to ensure the safety and reliability of Highway 41. A news conference and ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on the bridge Thursday morning with speakers from Caltrans, California Highway Patrol, and Kings County Supervisors.
Ħ 1935 Map showing Route 740 (FB/Chuck Jones). A rare map that seems to be from the short period in late 1934/1935 that shows some short lived State Sign Routes.
$92M Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing takes shape in Agoura Hills (Urbanize LA). The $92-million Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing continues to make progress in Agoura Hills. A new aerial tour from Caltrans shows where construction now stands for the project, which will be the world’s largest wildlife crossing when completed. The Los Angeles Times reports that ongoing work includes the assembly of wood forms and reinforcing rods to prepare for concrete pours. Rebar is also in place for the sound walls which will wrap the sides of the bridge.
Ħ Historic California Maps at Univ of Alabama. A link to the above 1935 Map at the University of Alabama, among others. It is slow to load. Choose the “No Plugin” or “No Plugin with DHTML”.
Bay Area Express Lanes Generate Millions Above Projected Revenue. Where is it all going? (NBC Bay Area). Over the past 14 years, more than 300 miles of express lanes have been introduced or are under construction on Bay Area freeways, providing solo drivers with the option to bypass rush-hour gridlock for a fee and carpoolers at a discount or for free. Express lanes were designed to relieve congestion and provide reliable travel times to get to that important meeting, catch a flight or pick-up your kids from daycare on time. But with the increasing use of these toll lanes, the question arises: how much revenue are they generating, and where is it going?
＄ Resolution introduced to name SF stretch of I-80 after Mays (Daily Republic). Bay Area legislators, including state Sen. Bill Dodd and Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, have introduced a resolution that would name a 2-mile section of Interstate 80, from the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to the U.S. 101 South exit, after Willie Mays. “Willie Mays’s career was nothing short of extraordinary,” Dodd, D-Napa, said in a statement. “He was arguably the greatest player of all time and left an indelible mark on the sport while breaking barriers for other Black players. I met Willie Mays when I was a kid and that cemented me as a lifelong San Francisco Giants fan. He was my idol. He made us all proud to live in the Bay Area so it is fitting that we name this highway in his honor,” Dodd added. “I’m pleased to see that not only does this have bipartisan support, it has the backing of my colleagues to the south who are lifelong Dodgers fans.”

＄ California’s average toll price is 8th in nation (Daily Republic). It seems very likely that Highway 37 will someday become a toll road, and there are discussions about making parts of Interstate 80 a pay-to-drive highway, too. For Solano County commuters into various parts of the Bay Area, that is a familiar – and ever more expensive – reality with eight bridges collecting tolls. California ranks eighth for the average “pass fee” per toll, and 14th for average price per toll mile, according to a study of more than 400 toll roads nationwide. “Alaska’s only toll road, the 2.5-mile Anderson Memorial Tunnel (or Whittier Tunnel), is the longest highway tunnel in North America. Drivers pay an average of $10.63, equating to a staggering $4.25 per mile. Located just over an hour from Anchorage, this tunnel cuts through Maynard Mountain to access Whittier,” the study conducted by the personal injury firm of Suzuki Law Offices states.
Portion of major California highway to close for 2 weeks (SF Gate). Tracing beneath the jagged ridges of the eastern Sierra Nevada, a portion of one of California’s best highways is fully closing for more than two weeks as Caltrans continues an ongoing effort to install a wildlife crossing under the roadway. Caltrans announced this week that U.S. 395 is closing between Bridgeport and state Route 108, starting Sept. 4. The closure will last 15 days. The impacted stretch is nearly 17 miles between the eastern Sierra hidden gem Bridgeport and Sonora Junction. The detour forces drivers to circumvent the project by taking Nevada Route 338 to reconnect with 395 near Topaz Lake.
Wildlife Crossing Project to Close U.S. 395 through Sonora Junction for Two Weeks (Caltrans). Beginning Wednesday, September 4, U.S. 395 will fully close between Bridgeport and State Route 108 for 15 days while crews install two wildlife crossings underneath the roadway as part of the Sonora Junction Shoulders Project. The project, which began construction in May, is widening the shoulders of the highway to 8 feet, installing rail-element retaining walls, and stabilizing slopes with anchored mesh in addition to installing the wildlife crossings. Each “plate pipe” archway undercrossing will measure more than 70 feet in length and stand between 9.5 feet and 11 feet high. With 69 reported wildlife collisions since 2002 (many more incidents go unreported), Caltrans biologists identified this stretch of U.S. 395 as a crossing hotspot for the West Walker herd of mule deer. The addition of two oversized culverts and fencing to direct animals away from traffic aims to reduce wildlife mortality rates on this stretch of U.S. 395.
Highway 41 reopens with new Kings River Bridge completion (Hanford Sentinal). A project five years in the making that required the closure of a vital travel route for six months is officially complete. In a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 1, County Board of Supervisors, Caltrans directors, and the California Highway Patrol christened the brand new Kings River Bridge and announced the reopening of State Route 41, which ferries traffic from Stratford and the surrounding communities to the Central Coast. The bridge project was necessary to repair failing supports and a road surface that was showing signs of deterioration that presented a significant risk to vehicular traffic, according to authorities.
Caltrans continues emergency repair work on Highway 1 near Rocky Creek Bridge (KSBY). Caltrans is continuing emergency repairs on Highway 1 near the Rocky Creek Bridge. Workers are focusing on an area 12 miles south of Carmel where a slip-out occurred on March 30. From Aug. 11 to Aug. 14, crews will be at work from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Travelers should expect delays of up to 20 minutes, according to Caltrans. Overnight work will be suspended for the following week. Then, from Aug. 18 to Aug. 22, there will be a full overnight closure of Highway 1 at Rocky Creek. The road will be shut down from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
When will toll lanes be installed on I-80’s Yolo Causeway? Caltrans gives timeline update (MSN/Sac Bee). There are new preliminary start and completion times for the addition of toll lanes along Interstate 80’s Yolo Causeway between Davis and West Sacramento, according to Caltrans. “The construction start date for the Yolo I-80 Managed Lanes Project is tentatively scheduled for the spring of 2025 with construction completed by fall 2027,” Caltrans spokesperson Sergio Ochoa Sánchez said in an email to The Sacramento Bee. The project will widen the section from six to eight lanes. A key component is the addition of a high-occupancy toll lane in each direction for three or more riders while vehicles with less than three riders would pay a fee to use the lanes. The westbound lane will start at the I-80 interchange with Highway 50 in West Sacramento and end at the Mace Boulevard ramp in Davis.
Plan ahead for major delays: New I-5 construction near Sacramento airport begins (MSN/KTXL). Northern California drivers who use Interstate 5 in Sacramento should expect delays and detours over the next few days. Beginning at 10 p.m. on Friday, lane and ramp closures on northbound and southbound I-5 near Garden Highway are scheduled as contractors begin repairing deteriorating roadway and replacing asphalt, according to Caltrans. Nearby residents can expect loud construction and commercial truck back-up beeping noises during day and nighttime hours. The construction is a part of the FixSac5 project and is scheduled to last until 5 a.m. on Aug. 12. Caltrans said “motorists and airport employees scheduled for flights out of Sacramento International Airport (SMF) should leave at least 40 minutes earlier than the recommended time to be on time for flights and work shifts.”
Ħ LINCOLN BOULEVARD (FB/LA Street Names). Santa Monica once had an 8th Street. Now it’s Lincoln Boulevard – named for Abraham, naturally. Here’s how Lincoln came to town: In November 1913, a fellow named Pleasant “Plez” James (1836-1918), former city clerk of Venice, petitioned to change the name of Compton Road – that is, Venice’s continuation of SM’s 8th Street – to Lincoln Boulevard. At the time, Washington Boulevard was the primary road between Los Angeles and Venice, and James thought it deserved a presidential counterpart. (Poor Compton: even back then, the name was looked down upon.)
Ħ ‘A monstrous mistake’: Remembering the ugliest thing San Francisco ever built (SF Gate). The plan was simple: Connect the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge via a freeway. It was the 1950s and everyone loved freeways. What could go wrong? Nearly everything. The Embarcadero Freeway is widely considered one of the biggest mistakes the city ever made. For 32 years, a concrete monstrosity barricaded San Franciscans from the bay waters, shrouded the iconic Ferry Building in smog and made lots of residents very mad. Photographs of it now look like a very different, unsightly city. And while (nearly) everyone hated it, it took an earthquake to tear it down. Here’s the story of the ugliest thing San Francisco ever built (until the Salesforce Tower).
Ħ End of US highway 66 (US Ends .com). [This is here so I remember to add the link] “Route 66” is the most famous of all the US highways. It was officially decommissioned in 1985, but that had the unexpected effect of increasing public awareness of the old “Mother Road”. It has since enjoyed tremendous popularity, and many segments of its historic alignments are signed with “Historic Route 66” markers. This map showing the original extent of US 66 was included in a 1931 US Dept. of Agriculture Office of Information press release, issued shortly after the US routes were commissioned:
The feds say 2/3rds of California roads disappeared since 2019. How could that be? (MSN/The Center Square). While fuming over the state of California roads a few weeks ago on a harrowing drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco — I swore to look into why they were so bad. What I found shocked me to my pot-hole-rattled bones – California’s measured road quality had increased 53% since 2015. That’s weird. What’s weirder is that federal statistics claim 65% of California’s roads have disappeared. This set off alarms in my head as I wondered if road “quality” was increasing because of a conscious decision to measure less “bad” roadway to make the state’s roads seem better than they are. While 65% of the state’s roads disappeared on paper, they certainly hadn’t in reality. So I set out to find out who made this dubious decision.
Big Sur Information (BigSurKate). [BigSur Kate is one of the best sources for local information on the state of Route 1 in Big Sur] Nacimiento will probably open sometime in Sept, despite the most recent forest order of closure we all received indicating closure until July 2025 (see https://bigsurkate.blog/2024/07/19/new-forest-closure-order-until-july-2025/, I contacted the USFS who let me know that the date in the order was just a date far enough out so it would cover all contingencies, but that yes, the goal was to get all road systems in the South Coast Big Sur portion of the LPNF open sometime in September, after Labor Day, but date TBD. Once the determination is made as to when exactly the forest and roads will be safe to open to the public, I will post that information here.
$26 million for improvements to Highway 183 in California (KSBW). The California Transportation Commission announced on Friday that they have allocated $29 million for improvements on Highway 183. This is part of a larger plan to allocate more than $1.8 billion for projects to improve “critical transportation infrastructure throughout the state.” A total of $26 million was set aside to fix the pavement, perform bridge repairs, improve drainage and lighting systems as well as improve pedestrian, bicycle and Americans with Disabilities Act facilities on Highway 183 in Castroville from just south of Del Monte Avenue to Highway 1 and Highway 183 interchange.
$7.5 million rock slope project to start on Highway 1 in Big Sur (KSBW). Caltrans announced that a rock slope protection project will begin on Monday. The project will start below Highway 1 near the community of Fernwood. “Crews will armor the bank of the river with four to six ton rocks which will make the slope capable of withstanding the erosive forces of the Big Sur River and protect the integrity of the roadway above,” said Caltrans in a media statement. One-way traffic control will be implemented starting Monday and will be in effect seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Regent’s Slide excavation work temporarily halted in Monterey County (KTVU FOX 2). Caltrans says it is temporarily halting excavation work on Regent’s Slide – Highway 1 in Monterey County due to slide activity. On Friday, Caltrans said engineers are assessing the area and will determine a new timeline for reopening. Despite the ongoing repair work, the Big Sur coast remains open and accessible, officials said. The slide activity continues in and around the repair site that has been closed since Feb. 9, officials said. That’s when a slide 450 feet above the roadway came crumbling down. Caltrans said during excavation work with bulldozers earlier this month, crews noticed surface cracking at several points, indicating slide activity was still happening. In a news release, Caltrans said they were halting work for the safety of its crews.
State Route 116 Pedestrian Upgrade Project to Begin in Guerneville (Caltrans). The wider sidewalks and curb ramps will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Sonoma County has funded additional upgrades, such as tree wells, bicycle racks, and murals, which will be part of the project. While the project schedule allows nearly a year for construction, Caltrans hopes to complete the bulk of the work by year’s end to avoid cold, rainy winter weather that can interfere with pouring concrete. Caltrans will begin work on the east and west ends of the project to avoid working in front of businesses during the summer months. For more information, visit the project webpage: Guerneville 116 Pedestrian Upgrades
California Transportation Commission Allocates Millions to Local Projects (Redheaded Blackbelt). The California Transportation Commission (CTC)… allocated more than $1.8 billion for projects to improve critical transportation infrastructure throughout the state. These major investments include funding by nearly $458 million from Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, and more than $1 billion in funding from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). […] Today’s approved projects include $43 million to reconstruct and upgrade the water and wastewater systems at the eastbound and westbound Cactus City Safety Roadside Rest Areas along Interstate 10 near Indio; $29 million to improve on-ramps and off-ramps near Fairfield; and a $41 million project near Pismo Beach that will include new bike lanes and bikeway designations. Projects approved today in District 1 include:
San Diego Receives $82.5 Million from state Transportation Commission to Improve Local Highways (Times of San Diego). San Diego received $82.5 million on Monday to fund highway improvement projects as part of the California Transportation Commission‘s efforts to improve critical transportation infrastructure throughout the state. Last week on August 16, More than $1.8 billion was designated by the commission for improvements in infrastructure. These major investments are funded by nearly $458 million from Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, and more than $1 billion in funding from the Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. A total of seven projects in San Diego were funded by the commission:
$6M Headed To Support 3 SMC Infrastructure Projects (San Mateo, CA Patch). Newly allotted funding from the California Transportation Commission will send around $6 million to support transportation projects underway in San Mateo County and around the Bay Area. The commission announced its latest allotments Monday, totaling more than $1.8 billion for infrastructure projects across the state. That newest round of funding includes more than $450 million from Senate Bill 1 and more than $1 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure bill. [..] In San Mateo, more than $3.8 million will help bring bridge rails and other facilities up to ADA standards on State Route 82 at the Hillsdale Boulevard overcrossing. Another $1.6 million will help pay for pavement repairs on State Route 280 near Highlands, south of State Route 92. More than $600,000 will help crews address sinkhole damage on State Route 35 in Daly City.
State Route 27 slope restoration planned at postmile 4.9 in Topanga (The Malibu Times). The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) plans a slope restoration project at postmile 4.9 on State Route 27 (SR-27) south of Circle Trail beginning Monday, Aug. 19. The work will require reducing about a half-mile of SR-27 to one lane with flaggers directing alternating traffic during off-peak hours, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., for four weeks. Signs will be posted. Motorists can expect delays. The slope along Topanga Creek was seriously eroded by February rainstorms, which undermines a section of the southbound roadway shoulder. Caltrans’ aim is to rebuild the slope with dirt and rocks before the rainy season. What the work involves:
Golden Gate Bridge anti-suicide nets are working as planned (San Francisco Standard). However much the Golden Gate Bridge may be a sublime symbol of San Francisco and a magnificent architectural achievement, it is also a place of death. But a barrier designed to keep people from jumping off the 87-year-old Art Deco span is saving lives only eight months after its completion. Data indicates that only four people have died by suicide on the Golden Gate Bridge so far in 2024. That is approximately 20 percent of the annual average for this date, according to bridge authorities. Since the bridge opened to traffic in 1937, close to 1,800 people have ended their lives by jumping into the chilly currents 200 feet below the road deck. In 2013, the most recent peak, an astounding 46 individuals took their own lives. Over the past five years, the average has been in the low 20s, or almost one every other week.
The Calif. statues off I-80 so shocking they changed school bus routes (SF Gate). A sight on Auburn Ravine Road might cause you to slam on the brakes if you’re not expecting it. About a half mile off Interstate 80, around a seemingly ordinary bend, appears a group of 40-foot-tall figures, mostly nude, in dramatic poses: a man ripping chains off his enormous frame, an Amazon woman bent back with a bow, another with a spear. As astonishing as these statues are, the story behind them — involving a dentist, a controversial school bus route and a battle with the county — is even stranger. Kenneth Fox was Placer County born and raised, growing up in Auburn before heading to USC for dental school in the 1940s. At 21, he became the youngest dentist in the state.
City of Vernon pumps the brakes on Union Station revamp (KTLA). Plans to renovate and reimagine Los Angeles Union Station has run into a snag after the city of Vernon voiced its objection to the project. The city of about 220 residents, according to the most recent U.S. Census, will formally voice its opposition to Link Union Station, a multibillion-dollar construction project that would completely modernize and reshape Southern California’s busiest transit center. The project would include retooling the existing train platforms, changing them from “stub-end” configuration to a “run-through” design which would allow trains to stop at the platform and continue on in the same direction rather than enter the platform and then have to back out.
Groundbreaking ceremony signals start of 99 and 120 connector project (Stocktonia News). The long awaited upgrade to the California state routes 99 and 120 interchange will soon come to fruition as construction crews prepare for the start of a years-long project in San Joaquin County. The State Route 99/120 Interchange Connector Project officially began with a groundbreaking ceremony near the project site in Manteca on Wednesday. Officials representing Caltrans and San Joaquin County gave speeches throughout the morning regarding the impact the project will have on county commuters followed by a photo shoot with gilded shovels signifying the commencement of the project. According to Caltrans, the $132 million project will expand the north-to-south SR-99 and the east-to-west SR-120 interchange near southeast Manteca, as well as neighboring roads in three parts known as Phase 1A, 1B and 1C.
Caltrans asks public to choose between five Albion Bridge designs for replacement and nixes discussion of rehabbing the old bridge (Mendocino Voice). Caltrans is fast-walking a new Albion River Bridge through the approval process, holding the first and last public meeting on the proposal on Aug.13. About 150 people packed the Whitesboro Grange hall. People (including Mendocino County Supervisor Ted Williams) who couldn’t get in ended up trying to hear outside both entry doors. Cars parked on both sides of the lane to the Grange made getting to the hall a gauntlet. There were a dozen more cars parked out on Navarro Ridge Road. Caltrans set a strict time limit of an hour and a half for the meeting, then spent the first 45 minutes doing all the talking, leaving time for only a dozen questions from the audience. Questions were usually quick and the answers long and/or “We don’t know at this point in the process.” When the meeting ended at 7:30 p.m., there were still 30 hands raised, including this reporter’s.
＄ Southern California Highway 101 wildlife crossing adds walls (VC Star). Tall, concrete walls going up along the Highway 101 wildlife crossing near Agoura Hills will help block the glare from headlights and roar of traffic, officials said. The goal is to make the crossing feel as natural as possible — less like a bridge over a busy 10-lane freeway and more like natural habitat. But on average, more than 300,000 vehicles travel that stretch of freeway daily, according to the California Department of Transportation. That amount of traffic can generate a lot of light and sound, said Seth Riley, a wildlife ecologist at the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
New Toll Lanes Coming To Long Stretch Of Interstate 10 In IE (MSN/Patch). New toll lanes are opening this week on Interstate 10 in the Inland Empire, stretching for 10 miles in both directions of the freeway from the Los Angeles County/San Bernardino County line in Montclair to Etiwanda Avenue in Rancho Cucamonga, just east of Interstate 15. Four new toll lanes — two on each side of the freeway — are set to open Thursday morning, and are designed to relieve traffic congestion. The project features a new freeway lane in each direction that was constructed and combined with existing HOV lanes on both sides of I-10.
Buckle up for the SB Express Lanes opening with a visit to SBExpressLanes.com (SBCTA). Construction of the new SB Express Lanes on I-10 is wrapping up, which means it’s time to start preparing for an improved commute! To help you navigate the new tolled lanes on I-10 between the Los Angeles-San Bernardino County Line and I-15, we launched a new website with everything you need to know about the new lanes. Visit SBExpressLanes.com to learn where you can enter and exit the express lanes, learn how to sign up for a FasTrak account, how to pay a toll without an account, resolve a violation, find available offers and discounts, and much more. If you’re familiar with driving tolled lanes in neighboring counties and already have a FasTrak account, you’re all set to drive the SB Express Lanes. If this is new to you, we invite you to visit SBExpressLanes.com/FasTrak to create an account. FasTrak is the preferred method of payment on the SB Express Lanes. It allows drivers to easily pay the lowest toll amount electronically on every tolled bridge, lane and road in California and receive discounts and special offers.
Caltrans, Valley agencies must prepare for a ‘carmageddon’ on road to coast | Opinion (Yahoo/Fresno Bee). A “carmageddon” of epic proportions will challenge San Joaquin Valley drivers seeking to cool off in the summer heat by heading to Monterey or Santa Cruz. As recently detailed by Fresno Bee columnist Marek Warszawski, plans are underway to reduce Highway 152 — the main artery from Los Baños to Highway 101 and the coast — from four lanes to a single lane in each direction at the San Luis Reservoir. The reason? So the dam at the storage facility can be enlarged and hold more water in heavy rain years, which would benefit residents and farmers throughout in the state.
＄ New toll lanes open on the 10 Freeway in San Bernardino (Los Angeles Times). This Labor Day weekend, motorists will be able to beat the congested traffic on the 10 Freeway in San Bernardino County by using newly opened toll lanes in both directions. After four years of construction, the new lanes opened Thursday, spanning 10 miles from the Los Angeles County line to Interstate 15, officials said. Drivers can create a FasTrak account online at sbexpresslanes.com to get the lowest toll price. Those without a FasTrak account can pay for tolls using the Pay Online feature within five days of their trip.
Planning begins on Hwy 101 wildlife crossing (BenitoLink). Green Foothills, an organization dedicated to preserving open space and farmland in San Mateo, San Benito and Santa Clara counties, held a forum Aug. 21 to pose a simple question: How did the mountain lion cross the road? According to the speakers, the answer is that in many places in California, it can’t—unless it has some help. According to a California Department of Fish and Wildlife report, Restoring California’s Wildlife Connectivity 2022, 61 barriers to wildlife movement within California were identified in 2020 as high-priority sites for some form of crossing. One is at the eucalyptus grove near Rocks Road, south of San Juan Bautista on Hwy 101. “We know that wildlife moves between habitats for a variety of reasons, such as breeding or seasonal migration,” said Caltrans Environmental Program Manager Morgan Robertson. “But roads and highways that run between habitats sometimes block wildlife movement.”
Improvements planned for Gaviota wildlife crossing (KEYT). Just past the entrance to Gaviota State Park on Highway 101, there is a culvert that is planned to be improved to allow larger animals to cross underneath the highway. The culvert was originally built to move cattle across the highway when it became four lanes. A photo of the culvert shows “1952” etched across the top. “It’s undersized for black bears, Mule deer, and mountain lions. So those big animals aren’t using that under crossing in its current state because it’s too small,” said Candice Meneghin, Executive Director of Coastal Ranches Conservancy. Caltrans is completing the planning phase of what will be a $10 million investment in improving the wildlife passage.

Gribblenation Blog (Tom Fearer)

San Francisco’s Broadway Tunnel. The Broadway Tunnel in San Francisco is a structure at Russian Hill which connects the neighborhood Chinatown to North Beach. The tunnel was included in the 1948 San Francisco Trafficways Plan as a connector between the Central Freeway and Embarcadero Freeway. The structure was completed in December 1952 and spans 1,616 feet through Russian Hill. The Broadway Tunnel was designated as the Robert C. Levy Tunnel in 1986.
The 1915 Fine Gold Creek Bridge (Madera County). The 1915 Fine Gold Creek Bridge is an early era arch concrete structure found alongside modern Madera County Road 200. The structure was modeled as a smaller scale of the 1905 Pollasky Bridge (still in ruins at the San Joaquin River) and was one of many early twentieth century improvements to what was then known as the Fresno-Fresno Flats Road. The 1915-era bridge was replaced with a modernized concrete span during 1947 but was never demolished. The original concrete structure can be still found sitting in the brush north of the 2023 Fine Gold Creek Bridge.
Old Sonoma Road. Old Sonoma Road is an approximately five-mile highway located in the Mayacamas Mountains of western Napa County. The roadway is part of the original stage road which connected Napa Valley west to Mission San Francisco Solano as part of El Camino Real. Much of Old Sonoma Road was bypassed by the start of the twentieth century by way of Sonoma Highway. A portion of Old Sonoma Road over the 1896 Carneros Creek Bridge (pictured as the blog cover) was adopted as part of Legislative Route Number 8 upon voter approval of the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act. The 1896 Carneros Creek Bridge served as a segment of California State Route 37 and California State Route 12 from 1934 through 1954.
Morgan Territory Road. Morgan Territory Road is an approximately 14.7-mile-long roadway mostly located in the Diablo Range of Contra Costa County, California. The roadway is named after settler Jerimah Morgan who established a ranch in the Diablo Range in 1857. Morgan Territory Road was one of several facilities constructed during the Gold Rush era to serve the ranch holdings. The East Bay Regional Park District would acquire 930 acres of Morgan Territory in 1975 in an effort to establish a preserve east of Mount Diablo. The preserve has since been expanded to 5,324 acres. The preserve functionally stunts the development along roadway allowing it to remain surprisingly primitive in a major urban area.

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