🚘 Headlines About California Highways – March 2026

[cahwyguy]

No fooling! It’s time for another headline post. Although I’m posting this on April Fool’s Day, there are no “fool” headlines buried herein — after all, these headlines cover March 2026, not April. Then again…

2026 marks the 30^th Anniversary of the California Highways website. The changelog for 1996 shows the first “official” changes in October 1996, although it notes that “Changes before early 1996 were not specifically noted, although this site, in various forms, dates back at least as far as 1992, and possibly as early as 1986. Searching on Google Groups uncovers an early posting of the state highway list in December of 1992 to the Usenet Group ca.driving. In 1995, there was a posting of the highway list in response to a question, showing a last modified date of 1994. By October 1996, postings were being made showing the existence of the California Highways page off of Pacificnet. The earliest capture of the site on the Wayback Machine is in December 1998.” So welcome to the 30^th Anniversary year, or perhaps the 40^th Anniversary year, of California Highways! Speaking of the website, I’m pleased to announce that the January-March updates to the California Highways website have been posted.

With respect to the podcast: Season 4 is written and recording is proceeding apace. We’re planning a few bonus episodes that don’t take as much research and writing; after which I’ll turn my attention to Season 5, covering Routes 15 through 23. I particularly like ep 4.12, which covers the unbuilt freeways of the San Fernando Valley, using the first segment of Route 14 as the starting point. Zencaster is working well for recording the podcast. I think it sounds better, but I would love to hear from the listeners. Let us know what you think. It looks like the regular audience is between 60-80 folks, and I’d love to get that number up, although the numbers don’t included those who listen directly from the CARouteByRoute website (as I don’t know how to get those stats). You can help our listening audience grow. 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 episodes have been posted this month:

• March | CA RxR 4.08: Route 12: Sonoma and Napa. Episode 4.08 is the first of three episodes focusing on Route 12. We start by exploring LRN 12, which we visited before in our episodes on Route 8, for LRN 12 became I-8 between San Diego and El Centro. We then look at Sign Route 12 and Route 12, which are mostly the same route… except, of course, in the first segment where they differ in routing between Route 1 and US 101. Episode 4.08 focuses on the first two segments of Route 12, which covers the portions between Route 1 near Valley Ford or Jenner through Sebastapol, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, Napa, and into Cordelia. Episode 4.09 will cover Route 12 from I-80 near Suisan City through the Sacramento Wetlands to Lodi and Route 99. Lastly, Episode 4.10 will cover Route 12 from Route 99 to the Sierra Foothill and San Andreas, where it meets Route 49. As usual, we’ll cover historical routings, projects, and names along the route. (Spotify for Creators)
• March | CA RxR 4.09: Route 12: Crossing the Wetlands. Episode 4.09 continues our exploration of Route 12 through an exploration of the middle section of the route: From Fairfield/Cordelia through the “Drive to Stay Alive” corridor, on through the wetlands of Rio Vista, and into the central valley and Lodi. We explore the big change in routing that happened in Rio Vista. We also look at some major projects within this segment, as well as some of the interesting names. We also review LRN 12, which we visited before in our episodes on Route 8, for LRN 12 became I-8 between San Diego and El Centro. Our exploration of Route 12 will conclude in Episode 4.10, which will cover Route 12 from Route 99 to the Sierra Foothill and San Andreas, where it meets Route 49. (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.

One last point of personal interest: For over 20 years, I’ve been a judge at the California Science and Engineering Fair. This is the state level fair for all those Middle and High School science fairs, that bubble up to their county fairs, than then make it post those fairs to the state level. This year, the CSEF is on Sunday April 12 at Cal Lutheran in Thousand Oaks. We always need judges in a wide variety of scientific and engineering categories. So if you are working the in the field of science or engineering, consider volunteering to be a judge. I’ll be there, probably running the Jr. Mathematical Sciences panel. We do get highway related projects: Last year’s winner in our category was a kid that used cellular automata to model traffic on I-405.

Well, you should now be up to date. Here are the headlines that I found about California’s highways for March 2026.

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. ＄＄ paywalls require the use of archive.ph. ☊ indicates an primarily audio article. 🎥 indicates a primarily video article. 🎩 indicates hat/tip to someone for finding this article. ]

Highway Headlines

• Metro Committee Approves Additional Early Construction Funding for Union Station Run-Through Tracks (Streetsblog Los Angeles). This week the Metro Construction Committee approved an additional $210 million for early construction work on the long planned Union Station run-through tracks project, called Link US. Metro already had allocated about $300 million for early Link US construction already underway; this ups the “pre-construction” phase to a half-billion dollars. If you’re completely unfamiliar with LinkUS, watch SBLA’s short explainer video. Since opening in 1939, Union Station has operated with inefficient stub-end tracks. Essentially trains nose into the station, then have to reverse to get out. Metro estimates that fixing this will increase Union Station capacity from 180 to 278 trains daily and reduce train dwell times from ~20 minutes to ~5 minutes – greatly benefitting riders on Metrolink, Amtrak, and future CA High-Speed Rail. Link US is a huge undertaking which includes building a new bridge over and along the 101 Freeway. The initial phase is anticipated to cost roughly $2.3 billion.
• ☊ Untangling the 101/92 interchange and what it means for the Peninsula (WheelTalk). The Highway 101 and 92 interchange is one of the busiest and most complex transportation hubs in the Bay Area — and it’s also the focus of several major projects that often get confused with one another. In this episode of Wheel Talk, we break down three distinct transportation efforts connected to the interchange and surrounding communities, each with its own purpose and  timeline. First, we look at a safety and bottleneck improvement project already underway, designed to reduce congestion and improve traffic flow through known trouble spots. Caltrans Public Information Officer Jeneane Crawford explains what drivers can expect during construction and how success will be measured. Next, we examine a proposed direct connectors project that could link Highway 92 with the 101 express lanes. Still under review, this proposal has raised important community questions. San Mateo County Transportation Authority Director of Project Delivery Jess Manzi responds to public concerns and clarifies where the project stands today.
• Steel-weld inspection and plate repairs continue on Carquinez Bridge (The Bay Link Blog). Caltrans continues to perform essential steel weld inspection project weld inspections and repairs on the Carquinez Bridge. The work is critical to maintaining the ongoing structural integrity of the bridge. Carquinez Bridge closures are expected to continue through March.
• ＄ New Highway 101 carpool lane hours take effect in Sonoma, Marin counties after unpopular September shift (Press Democrat). If commuters on Highway 101 in Sonoma and Marin counties are feeling a bit whipsawed these days, that’s understandable. For the second time in six months, crews for California’s transportation department recently finished updating signs displaying a new set of carpool lane hours for that 52-mile corridor. As of Monday, revised signs announced that the latest high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane hours are 6 to 9 a.m. in the morning and 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the evening, in both counties, in both directions, Monday through Friday. This latest iteration represents a retreat from the HOV lane hours unveiled by Caltrans – to widespread condemnation ­­– on Sept. 8.
• ＄＄ SANDAG outsources troubled highway toll collection [🎩 andy3175] (San Diego Union Tribune). San Diego’s regional planning agency is largely walking away — for now — from its controversial management of local toll roads, after years of billing-software problems that led to scathing audits and millions in legal costs. The San Diego Association of Governments is set to ink a contract with two Orange County transit agencies that will hand them control of the billing and financial systems for the tolled section of state Route 125 in the South Bay and toll lanes on Interstate 15 in North County. The move could save the agency more than $2 million a year, its staff said. On Friday, SANDAG’s board unanimously backed the new contract with the Transportation Corridor Agencies, or TCA, which consists of two different agencies that oversee four Orange County toll roads, as well as handle the billing system for tolled lanes on Interstate 10 in San Bernardino County.
• State Route 168 Shaver Lake Viaduct Project (FB/Caltrans Central Valley District 6). The Department of Transportation (Caltrans), in cooperation with Viking Construction, announces the State Route 168 Shaver Lake Viaduct Project in Fresno County to begin April 2026. This project would construct a two-lane viaduct structure on a new alignment on State Route 168 along a section of Shaver Lake shoreline, in Fresno County, from Post Mile (PM) 49.1 to PM 49.5.

• Route 255 Navy Base Roundabout (FB/Caltrans District 1). Reminder for anyone who uses Route 255 on the Samoa Peninsula: Caltrans is inviting the public to an in-person open house about the proposed New Navy Base Road Roundabout Project. The project would add a quick-build, modular roundabout at the New Navy Base Road intersection as part of a safety program aimed at reducing severe crashes while maintaining efficient access for trucks, freight, and local traffic. Construction is currently planned for summer 2027.
• ＄ Los Angeles’ worst intersections (Los Angeles Times). Everyone who commutes in L.A. has a traffic choke point that is the very worst part of their drive — where everything stops, time seems to stand still, and you debate how many red-light cycles it’s going to take to get through the intersection. It’s these places where you worry about getting into that fender bender or witnessing an act of road rage that will haunt your nightmares. The Times decided to find out which are truly the worst crossings in the city, based on city data on traffic volumes and accidents.
• MTC: Final Plan Bay Area 2050+ and Final EIR Now Available (Contra Costa News). After nearly three years of public discussion, technical analysis and refinement, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) released the proposed final Plan Bay Area 2050+ and the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for Plan Bay Area 2050+. Read the proposed final Plan Bay Area 2050+ and its supplemental reports at planbayarea.org/finalplan.* The Final EIR for Plan Bay Area 2050+ also can be accessed online at planbayarea.org/2050/environmental-impact-report-eir. This notice is provided pursuant to Public Resources Code section 21092.5, which requires that the lead agency provide a written proposed response to all public agencies that made comments on the EIR at least 10 days prior to certification of the EIR. The responses are now available at https://planbayarea.org/2050/environmental-impact-report-eir.
• ＄ Early stage of express lane project extended (San Mateo Daily Journal). An early-stage effort to extend the Highway 101 express lanes north of Interstate 380 is facing a slight delay, with the current phase expected to be completed in 2027. The current express lanes, which opened about three years ago, stretches 22 miles on Highway 101 from the Santa Clara County line to Interstate 380. Starting around 2020, the San Mateo County Transportation Authority began conducting research on expanding the project north of the interstate, either by converting an existing lane into an express lane or constructing a brand-new one. The initiative is in the environmental and preliminary design phase, which began in 2020 and is a multiyear effort now expected to be completed in summer 2027, though earlier plans hoped to complete the current stage by this year.
• ☊ How Oakland Is Fixing One of Its Most Dangerous Roads (KQED). West Oakland’s 18th Street is one of the city’s most dangerous for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers, with wide lanes, hidden stop signs, and virtually nonexistent crosswalks in a residential area. It’s one of many Oakland roads that has not been fixed for decades. Now, improvements are finally coming to 18th Street. The Oaklandside’s Jose Fermoso joins us to talk about what changes are on the horizon, and how upgrading roads can pave the way for broader changes in the city.
• New Oakland speed cameras send 70K warnings in first month (The Oaklandside). The speed cameras are working. That’s according to an Oakland Department of Transportation staffer who briefed the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission meeting last month, who said that 17,000 warnings were issued to vehicle owners in the first five days after they went live, from January 14 to January 19. The 18 cameras were installed near or on some of the city’s most dangerous intersections. Over the first month of the program, 70,000 warnings were issued citywide. That constitutes, according to OakDOT, about 1% of all drivers on Oakland roads.
• MTC, ABAG release proposed final Plan Bay Area 2050+ (The Bay Link Blog). After nearly three years of public discussion, technical analysis and refinement, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments last Friday released the proposed final Plan Bay Area 2050+ and the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for Plan Bay Area 2050+. The plan and its related reports will be presented for review and consideration at a joint meeting of the MTC Planning Committee with the ABAG Administrative Committee on Friday, March 13, before the documents are referred to their respective approving bodies. The ABAG Executive Board will consider certification of the Final EIR and adoption of the final plan at its March 19 meeting. At its March 25 meeting, MTC will consider certifying the Final EIR and adopting the final plan, as well as adopting the accompanying Air Quality Conformity Analysis and an amendment to the 2025 Transportation Improvement Program.
• ＄ New details on a potential 101/92 connector project in San Mateo(San Mateo Daily Journal). The once-controversial 101/92 interchange project alleviated some concerns after confirming it would not involve acquiring private homes — however, some options could require taking portions of two residential yards. The project, which would add a connecting lane between State Route 92 and Highway 101, has been a discussion topic for years, with transit agencies such as the San Mateo County Transportation Authority stating it could reduce congestion and improve safety by using a new ramp connector to get from one freeway to another. The lane would be similar to the current Highway 101 express lanes, which employ a demand pricing model, though high-occupancy vehicles would be exempt or receive a discount.
• ＄ Could California pause the gas tax or start charging drivers fees based on mileage? (The Mercury News). Current events have resulted in a “perfect storm,” state Sen. Tony Strickland said, that might give some momentum to legislative Republicans’ efforts to scale back California’s gas tax. Republicans in the statehouse have for years railed against the state’s gas tax, unsuccessfully pushing efforts to suspend annual increases to the tax. This year, among several Republican-led gasoline-related bills, is an effort from Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, to suspend the state gas tax for one year. He concedes that past proposals have been an uphill battle in the statehouse with a Democratic supermajority but contends there are other factors this year that may make his colleagues give his bill more consideration.
• Why doesn’t El Segundo have beachfront property (FB/Vintage El Segundo, California). Why doesn’t El Segundo have beachfront property? In July 1892 the City of Los Angeles purchased 200 acres of land from Daniel Freeman (who owned Sausal Redondo – 25,000 acres from Playa del Rey to Redondo) to create the Hyperion – a raw sewage outfall on the beach. In June 1911 Standard Oil purchased 840 acres of land, that became the City of El Segundo in January 1917. The City of Los Angeles annexed the “West Coast” in June 1917 – 7942 acres including the Hyperion and what is now LAX and Westchester. In 1925 they “Consolidated” 2627 acres of Venice – including the beaches north of Collingwood (Imperial), and finally built the first sewage treatment plant. The Coast Road (Grand) from El Porto went north on Main and crossed Imperial heading northwest to Playa del Rey. Vista Del Mar opened in 1934. Scattergood (DWP) was constructed in the late 1950’s. The Coast Road (Old Pershing) north of Imperial was closed when “New Pershing” opened in July 1974.
• Agoura Road to close for 101 Freeway wildlife crossing work (NBC Los Angeles). Agoura Road in Agoura Hills will be fully closed Wednesday as construction continues on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. The closure is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday between Rondell Street and Hydepark Drive, according to Caltrans. “The closure will allow crews to safely perform concrete placement as part of ongoing construction of the … (crossing),” according to a Caltrans statement. A second closure that had been scheduled for Thursday was canceled. No through traffic will be permitted during the closure, including motorists, cyclists or pedestrians.
• Embarcadero businesses beam over return of Bay Bridge Lights (SF Examiner). The Bay Bridge lights are coming back on, and Embarcadero business owners said they hope the installation’s return will bring customers back to the neighborhood. Artist Leo Villareal’s installation, which first illuminated the bridge’s western span in March 2013, will return March 20 after three years in darkness due to the costs associated with keeping thousands of LED light bulbs protected from the elements. Backed by $11 million in donations from the nonprofit Illuminate, the updated “Bay Lights” will feature 48,000 LEDs — twice the number in Villareal’s initial version.
• Historian: California’s Iconic Highway Bells Trace Their Origins to a South Pasadena Woman (Pasadena Now). The cast iron bells that hang from curved green guideposts along California’s highways — familiar to generations of drivers, mysterious to most of them — were the creation of a South Pasadena woman who designed them, founded a company to manufacture them, and oversaw their installation across 700 miles of road. California historian Phyllis Hansen will bring the story of that woman, Harrye Rebecca Piper Forbes, to the Pasadena Rotary Club’s weekly luncheon at noon Wednesday, March 11, at the University Club of Pasadena, 175 N. Oakland Ave. Hansen’s presentation is titled “The Bell Lady, Mrs. A.S.C. ‘Harrye’ Forbes,” according to information provided by the Rotary Club.
• Caltrans launches SR-168 Shaver Lake Viaduct Project to fix chronic slope failures (KMPH Fox 26 News). Caltrans announced the State Route 168 Shaver Lake Viaduct Project to begin in April. The project would construct a two-lane viaduct structure on a new alignment on State Route 168 along a section of Shaver Lake shoreline.
• Sully-Miller Begins Caltrans SR 2 Project (Construction Eqpt Guide). Crews from Sully-Miller Contracting Co. are engaged in two segments of the California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans) $70.2 million State Route 2 project from Centinela Avenue in Santa Monica to the SR 2 terminus in Echo Park in Los Angeles. The multimodal upgrades are rehabilitating sections of pavement along three segments in Echo Park, Hollywood and West Los Angeles to enhance safety and improve mobility. Work on Segment A and Segment C began in October 2025, with both segments expected to be delivered in the fall of 2028. Sully-Miller also was awarded the contract for Segment B, which begins this summer.
• Caltrans celebrates new Castroville sign, start of rehabilitation project (MSN/Santa Cruz Sentinal). Caltrans marked the start of the State Route 183 Rehabilitation Project and the replacement of a decades-old “Artichoke Center of the World” sign Thursday with a groundbreaking and ribbon cutting. The $488,000 project to replace the Castroville sign was made possible by Gov. Newsom’s Clean California program led by Caltrans. The California Beautification program started in 2021 and is a $1.2 billion multiyear initiative aimed at removing trash, improving community aesthetics, engaging underserved communities and creating thousands of job opportunities across California. The sign structure was first installed over Merritt Street – Highway 183 – in the mid-1930s, coinciding with the realignment of Highways 1 and 156 through Castroville. Another Clean California Beautification project in Castroville has recently revitalized the Highway 156 Geil Street Pedestrian Overcrossing with colorful new murals, landscaping and safety improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists. The project cost $940,000 and a celebration is anticipated this fall.
• Route 26/Route 49 Intersection Improvements (FB/Caltrans, District 10). Caltrans will host an informational meeting in #CalaverasCounty to discuss the SR-26/49 Intersection Control Safety improvement Project. Join us at the Mokelumne Hill Town Hall on Thursday, March 26, from 6-8 p.m.
• History of LAX Highways (FB/Vintage El Segundo, California/Mark Shoemaker). Back in 1956, if you worked in aircraft maintenance/oprations for American Airlines, or in 1959 for TWA, or in 1963 for Continental Airlines, you would get to work by driving on Coast Blvd. (Pershing Drive) and turn onto Maintenance Road on the west side of LAX. In 1966 when the Flying Tiger Line started the road had already changed its’ name to World Way West. In 1974 Pershing Drive was closed, and all would use “New Pershing” to turn onto World Way West. In 1989 Flying Tigers became Fedex, and in 2010 Continental became United; today, both use their predecessors facilities. The American and TWA facilities were demolished to make room for the new Terminal B.
• Heads Up, Ferndale! Caltrans is Planning a Community Meeting to Discuss Next Steps for Repairing (or Possibly Replacing) Fernbridge (Lost Coast Outpost | Humboldt County News). Mark your calendars, Ferndale! Caltrans officials are hosting a community meeting on Thursday, March 26 to discuss next steps for repairing — or possibly replacing — your beloved Fernbridge. The 115-year-old bridge, nicknamed the the “Queen of Bridges” by the engineers who built her, sustained major structural damage during the 6.4 magnitude earthquake and numerous aftershocks that struck the region in December 2022 and January 2023, prompting numerous short-term closures. Caltrans completed emergency repairs in March 2023 to keep Route 211 open to two-way traffic, but a long-term solution is sorely needed.
• Highway 1: World’s Greatest Places 2026 (Time). California’s epic coastal route, Highway 1—also known as the Pacific Coast Highway—reopened in its entirety on January 14, restoring one of the great American road trips. Stretching roughly 655 miles along the Pacific coastline from Dana Point in Orange County to Leggett in Mendocino County, the highway has been partially closed since January 2023, when multiple landslides and a road collapse shut down a 90-mile section. The disruptions affected one of Highway 1’s most scenic legs—a narrow ribbon of road winding between the dramatic mountains of Big Sur and the planet’s largest ocean. While the traffic-free pavement proved a boon for cyclists, the three-year shutdown forced drivers onto long inland detours and cost local businesses nearly $500 million in lost revenue. Following extensive stabilization work—including reinforced slopes and cable-net drapery designed to catch falling debris—Highway 1 once again links some of the state’s most iconic landmarks, from Carmel-by-the-Sea to the opulent Hearst Castle. It also offers full access to Big Sur, celebrated for its redwood forests, remote wilderness, and legendary coastal views.
• Neptune’s Net Signal (FB/Westlake Village Living/Phil Kreis). Long overdue. A member recently suggested that a new crosswalk may soon be added near Neptune’s Net. According to the member, the update could include some type of traffic signal to help pedestrians cross the busy roadway more safely. While details about the project have not yet been confirmed, the potential addition of a signalized crosswalk would likely improve safety and accessibility for visitors traveling to and from the popular roadside destination.
• ＄ $175 million project to reroute traffic between Oakland and Alameda begins (The Mercury News). A $175 million plan to overhaul traffic between Alameda and Oakland would redirect thousands of cars away from Chinatown streets long plagued by pedestrian deaths, congestion and poor air quality. A procession of cars streamed through the Webster tunnel on Monday, surrounding Chinese Garden Park in Oakland like a rushing river and creating deadly conditions that are the focus of the Oakland Alameda Access Project. According to a 2025 study conducted by the city and other regional partners, nearly 1,000 severe and fatal pedestrian crashes between 2013 and 2023 have occurred in the area the project will impact. With poor air quality adding to an environment begging for a change, the project will demolish, redirect and streamline traffic connections between Jack London Square, Chinatown and West Alameda over the next three years.
• ＄ Richmond-San Rafael Bridge equity study set to proceed (Marin I-J). Caltrans plans to launch a series of surveys, targeted interviews and focus groups over the next two years to understand the effects of the different uses of the westbound shoulder across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission required the environmental and equity analysis as a condition when it approved a pilot project to reduce access to the multiuse path spanning the westbound upper deck. The two-way path, protected by a barrier, was introduced in 2019 as a four-year pilot project. Caltrans and the Bay Area Toll Authority said the change was needed to study the potential addition of a commuter lane across the span, an effort called the “westbound improvement project.”
• ＄ Hwy 41 construction: Lanes to close in Fresno County CA (Fresno Bee). Prepare for more highway lane closures, Fresno County drivers. Several stretches of Highway 41 will close as crews work on “asphalt pavement repairs,” the California Department of Transportation said in a Monday, March 16, post on Facebook.
• Caltrans begins construction on Highway 16 left-turn lanes near Woodland (ABC 10). Construction is underway on a project to improve safety at a highway intersection in Yolo County. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has started work on a left-turn lane project along State Route 16 at the intersection with County Road 95, about three miles west of Woodland. According to Yolo County, construction began on March 9 and is expected to continue into the early summer months.
• Modesto’s 7th Street Bridge to close for two-year replacement project (MSN/KXTV-TV Sacramento). The historic Seventh Street Bridge over the Tuolumne River will fully close starting Monday as a major replacement project gets underway. The bridge is expected to reopen in late 2027 or early 2028. The Stanislaus County Department of Public Works, in partnership with the City of Modesto, Caltrans, and the Federal Highway Administration, is replacing the aging structure to correct structural and hydraulic issues, improve safety for vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians, and increase traffic capacity along the Seventh Street corridor.
• ＄ Calls grow to remove Cesar Chavez’s name from buildings, parks, roads (Los Angeles Times). California is moving quickly to rename Cesar Chavez Day in the wake of sex abuse allegations against the famed labor leader. The push to redesignate the March 31 holiday as “Farmworkers Day” was announced Thursday by Democratic leaders in the state Legislature. “California’s farmworker rights movement never has been about one individual. To the survivors who have found the courage to come forward, uplifting the movement’s values of dignity and justice, and demanding accountability, our hearts are with you always,” Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) and Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón (D-Goleta) said in a joint statement. [Note that the only state highway named after Chavez is a segment of Route 215, although there are significant street renamings. As of when I did the last legislative review on 2026-03-20, there were no resolutions to rename that stretch of I-215.]
• ＄ Hwy 41 construction: Overnight closure in SLO County CA (San Luis Obispo Tribune). A long section of Highway 41 is closing overnight so Caltrans can complete repair work months after a rockslide damaged the roadway. In December, a major rockslide blocked half the highway on the way to Fresno in northern San Luis Obispo County.
• ＄ Covering murals, removing statues: The erasure of Cesar Chavez is underway in California (Los Angeles Times). It took three decades of battles and lobbying for Cesar Chavez’s name and likeness to grace hundreds of buildings, roads, parks and schools. It is taking just days for them to come down. In the two days after allegations emerged that the famed farmworker rights leader and Chicano figure sexually assaulted minors and fellow labor icon Dolores Huerta, Chavez is being erased at an unprecedented rate. This is especially true in California, where his fight for agricultural workers’ rights was cemented in state history. In San Fernando, a completely covered Chavez statue was pulled off its pedestal and put into storage. Murals depicting Chavez in Los Angeles were unceremoniously painted over. In Fresno, the City Council voted to strip his name from a major street — just three years after its controversial decision to rebrand it in his honor. Soon, the old street names — Kings Canyon Road, Ventura Street and California Avenue — will return to the nearly 10-mile-long corridor.
• Express Lanes in SB County Expanding East (SBCTA). The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) is moving forward with the next phase of improvements on the Interstate 10 Corridor after the Board approved releasing the Invitation for Bids for Contract 2B at its recent meeting. Contract 2B covers the stretch of I-10 from Sierra Avenue to Pepper Avenue and is part of the larger Interstate 10 Corridor Freight and Express Lane Project, which will add a single express lane in each direction between Interstate 15 and Pepper Avenue. The overall project has been divided into two construction contracts to speed up delivery. Contract 2A focuses on the area from I-15 to Sierra Avenue, while Contract 2B completes the remaining segment. Caltrans has already provided conditional acceptance of the final design plans and right-of-way documents for Contract 2B, an important step that helps keep the project on schedule.
• Caltrans decreases speed limit on dangerous Bay Area highway (SF Gate). For several years, the speed limit on Highway 17 was different in each direction within a short section near the interchange with Highway 1 in Santa Cruz, but that’s about to change. Caltrans announced last week it’s streamlining the speed limits, adding 5 mph in one direction and subtracting 5 mph in the other direction, so that it’s 60 mph in both directions. One of the most hazardous highways in the Bay Area, Highway 17 is prone to collisions from speeding vehicles taking winding turns or facing sudden stops. Caltrans spokesperson Kevin Drabinski told SFGATE on Monday that the agency conducts engineering and traffic surveys once a decade to improve safety on specific sections of highways.
• State Route (SR) 1 Multi-Asset Roadway Rehabilitation Project (FB/Caltrans Bay Area-District 4). Caltrans has delayed the start date on excavation and paving work on the State Route (SR) 1 Multi-Asset Roadway Rehabilitation Project. Excavation work that will create enough room for a new bike lane originally planned to start on March 23 has been pushed back to mid-April
• $2M in federal funding set for Yerba Buena Bridge rebuild in South San Jose (Local News Matters). U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta announced $2 million in federal funding has been lined up to rebuild the Yerba Buena Bridge in the Evergreen district of South San Jose. The pedestrian bridge connects Evergreen Valley College and Yerba Buena Road to Park Estate Way. “The Yerba Buena Bridge has been, and continues to be, a crucial artery in the Evergreen Community,” Panetta, D-Santa Cruz, said Friday in a press release. “This is not just about rehabilitation of a bridge, it’s also about making sure that our communities are connected to opportunity.”
• ＄ Caltrans to close portions of Napa County’s main highways to upgrade signs (Press Democrat). Highway 29 and Highway 12 in Napa County will see overnight lane, ramp and shoulder closures at various locations in the coming weeks so Caltrans crews can safely install roadway signs. The overnight closures are set to run from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. starting Sunday, March 22, and running through May 31, according to a news release. Initially, workers will focus on: The intersection of Highway 12, Highway 29 and Airport Boulevard, located south of the city of Napa and north of American Canyon. A portion of Highway 29 that runs through the city of Napa, located between Lincoln Avenue and West Imola Avenue. According to the news release, the roadway sign installation will include replacement of existing signs and enhancements to improve signage visibility. Changeable message signs will alert drivers of closures.
• ＄ Bay Bridge lights returned Friday after three years of darkness (SF Chronicle). Stand on a terrace near San Francisco’s waterfront, and you’ll see them: Thousands of tiny lights twinkling from the Bay Bridge’s suspender cables, draping the western span like a sequined gown. “Bay Lights 360” went live Friday night following celebrations with bands, speeches from Mayor Daniel Lurie and other local leaders, as well as people cavorting in blinking  costumes. “San Francisco is the greatest city in the world,” Lurie told the crowd gathered at the Embarcadero as the Friday night dusk darkened. “One of the big reasons why is because our creative class, our arts, our culture, has always led the way. We are doing so again, and this illustration tonight, the Bay Lights is just one more illustration of why.”
• State Routes 158 and 270 Reopen from Winter Closure (Caltrans). Caltrans reopened both State Route 158 (N. June Lake Loop) and State Route 270 (Bodie Road) from their winter closure today at noon. While State Route 158 (N. June Lake Loop) and State Route 270 will be open to vehicle traffic, Caltrans may close the highways again should weather conditions mandate it. The remaining winter closures for Caltrans District 9 are still in effect. This includes: …
• Nightly Closures of the Webster Tube (State Route 260) begin April 6th for Oakland Alameda Access Project (Caltrans). As part of the Oakland Alameda Access Project, the Webster Tube ( SR-260) will have nightly full closures to allow construction crews to build the new pedestrian and bicycle path inside the tube, with work occurring Sunday through Thursday nights from 10PM to 5AM for approximately 6 months.  Webster Tube detour will re-route drivers via SB I-880 to 23rd Street to Park Street to Lincoln Ave. To ensure the safety of crews and the public, Caltrans will implement nightly closures in the Webster Tube (Oakland–Alameda) starting Monday, April 6th 2026.
• Portion of State Route 44 permanently reduced to 55 mph (KRCR-TV). District 2 of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced a permanent speed limit reduction along State Route 44, beginning Thursday, April 2. Caltrans said the new 55 mph speed limit will apply from just east of Airport Road to just east of Millville Plains Road, or just east of Airport Road in Redding, all the way to Shingletown. The reduction is being made to improve safety for motorists and those entering the highway from nearby side streets. Caltrans said traffic studies conducted in the area found that crash rates in the current 65 mph zone were above average compared to similar highways statewide. Caltrans says that, in the adjacent 55 mph zone, the crash rate is less than half of the statewide average.
• Caltrans schedules road closure in Agoura Hills as construction on wildlife crossing continues (MSN/KTLA-TV). Caltrans will close a section of Agoura Road in Agoura Hills on Monday to allow crews to continue foundation work on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. The daytime closure will span from Rondell Street to Hydepark Drive and will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, March 23, the agency announced Wednesday. No through traffic, including drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, will be allowed within the closure area during the work. Bus stops within the closure limits will be temporarily relocated during the full closure.
• Traffic Switch to New Lane Alignment on Highway 154 to be Followed by Intermittent Traffic Control (The Santa Barbara Independent). Travelers in both directions of Highway 154 will be moved on to a new traffic alignment on Friday, March 20, at approximately 3 pm. This traffic switch on Highway 154 will take place between San Antonio Creek Road and Painted Cave Road and travelers can anticipate 5-to-10-minute delays. Crews will take advantage of this new alignment to complete repairs to the roadway over the next 30 days, after which traffic will be restored to the original alignment. Over the next several weeks, repairs to the roadway will require intermittent traffic control as needed, on a Monday through Friday basis, between 9 am and 4 pm. Flaggers will operate one-way reversing traffic control with delays up to 10 minutes
• Fifth St/Route 34 Grade Separation Project (FB/City of Oxnard). ** 🚧 Road Closure at Fifth St./SR-34** Construction closure has been extended for the Rice Avenue & Fifth Street/SR-34 Grade Separation Project (the Rice Ave. Bridge)! 🚨 Please note the updated closure dates below: From February 24, 2026 – April 3, 2026 Westbound Fifth St./SR-34 will be closed from Del Norte Blvd. to Rice Ave. due to construction activities.
• How a Calif. wildlife crossing became the target of right-wing hate (SF Gate). “California’s unfinished wildlife ‘bridge to nowhere’ tops $100M.” The authors, both with the conservative think tank the Manhattan Institute, dedicated roughly 750 words to attacking the Agoura Hills wildlife crossing northwest of Los Angeles for two key reasons: Costs are higher, and the completion date is later than initially estimated when the project was first announced five years ago. None of this was new information, and all of it had previously been reported by various local, state and national news outlets over the past few years. But the opinion piece added sharp new language to describe an inflation-fueled price increase and one-year timeline extension, calling the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing (the largest such crossing in the world) a “jobs program for environmentalists,” a “patronage program” and a “multimillion-dollar bridge to nowhere.” And crucially, it also left out key details about the project’s updated timeline and price increase.
• Bay Area Signs Off On $96 Billion Sea-Level Survival Plan (Hoodline). The Bay Area’s long-range playbook for surviving sea-level rise and steering growth through mid-century is now official. Regional planners have signed off on Plan Bay Area 2050+, a sweeping update that folds together housing, transportation, economic and environmental strategies while debuting a massive new list of shoreline resilience projects meant to prepare communities for roughly 4.9 feet of sea-level rise. The blueprint, which drew input from more than 17,600 residents, organizations and agencies over nearly three years, is pitched as a regional guide rather than a takeover of local control. Planners are calling the new Resilience Project List a starting point to help cities and public agencies figure out what it will actually take to keep the water at bay.
• ＄ Solano bridge repair project part of CTC $848M funding (Daily Republic). The California Transportation Commission has allocated $848 million to advance mass transit systems, expand pedestrian and bicycle options and improve freight movement. Solano County is earmarked for $1.264 million for a bridge repair on Highway 84 at Miner Slough Bridge near Five Points. This project will repair damaged timber plank deck, extend corrugated steel deck, and rehabilitate asphalt pavement. Featured among the spending is $273 million “to bring cutting-edge technology to rail systems under construction in the Bay Area and Southern California.” “The largest of these efforts is a $100 million allocation, which supports construction of a 5-mile tunnel as part of BART’s extension between downtown San Jose and the city of Santa Clara,” the agency reported.
• Caltrans completes $13.1 million roundabout project on State Route 49 in Auburn (Fox 40). California Department of Transportation officials announced the completion of a $13.1 million safety and mobility project along State Route 49 in Auburn, marking the latest in a series of improvements aimed at enhancing traffic flow and reducing collisions in the corridor. According to Caltrans officials, the project, known as the American Canyon Roundabout Project, included the realignment of two reversing curves to improve sight distance and reduce weaving by drivers. Authorities said that crews also replaced a signalized intersection at SR-49 and Lincoln Way/Borland Avenue with a new roundabout designed to improve traffic circulation and safety.
• ＄ State ranks 49 out of 50 states for the worst roads (Daily Republic). California ranks 49 out of 50 states for the worst roads in the 29th Annual Highway Report from the Reason Foundation. This is the same as last year’s ranking. California’s highways rank 47th in Rural Interstate Pavement Condition, 48th in Urban Interstate Pavement Condition, 39th in Rural Arterial Pavement Condition, 50th in Urban Arterial Pavement Condition, 25th in Structurally Deficient Bridges, 36th in Rural Fatality Rate and 27th in Urban Fatality Rate. California ranks 46th out of the 50 states in traffic congestion. Its drivers spend about 49 hours a year stuck in traffic congestion.
• Caltrans approves $20 million in Mendocino County highway projects (The Mendocino Voice). On Wednesday, Caltrans District 1, which represents Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake and Mendocino counties, announced more than $20 million has been allocated to various roadwork projects in Mendocino County. The funding comes from California’s Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, which allocates an annual $5.4 billion to repair roads, freeways and bridges throughout California. The following projects have been approved for District 1 with SB 1 funding:
• Caltrans To Reopen Section Of Sonora Pass (myMotherLode.com). The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will reopen a section of Highway 108/Sonora Pass tomorrow. “Favorable road conditions and weather have enabled Caltrans snow removal operations to make significant progress on Highway 108 this week,” noted Caltrans officials. The Sonora Pass eastbound closure gate will move to Eagle Meadows on Friday, March 27, 2026, at 2 p.m. As we reported this past Thursday, March 20, 2026, Caltrans District 10 reported that snow removal operations would begin a week earlier than usual due to the warm conditions on Sonora and Ebbetts Pa
• Buckhorn Summit slide area on State Route 299 (Sierra Daily News). CalTrans is working on the Buckhorn Summit slide area on State Route 299, but motorists may notice the project taking a little longer than originally expected. During excavation, crews encountered more moisture in the slope than anticipated. To ensure a safe and long-lasting repair, engineers adjusted the construction approach. Crews are now using a stabilization fabric with layers of base rock to rebuild the embankment, along with a permeable rock layer to help groundwater drain safely from the slope. Additional time was also needed to locate and properly abandon an existing culvert that contributed to the original slide. K-rail has been installed in the area to protect workers and the traveling public, and geotechnical teams continue to monitor conditions as work progresses.
• ＄＄ Caltrans to present safety solutions for Mussey Grade intersection at April 9 meeting (San Diego Union-Tribune). Recurring high-speed collisions at state Route 67 and Mussey Grade Road are prompting Caltrans to hold a public meeting on Thursday, April 9 to get feedback on alternative road improvement solutions. The format of the 6:30 p.m. meeting at the Ramona Community Library will include reviewing challenges at the Mussey Grade intersection, highlighting multiple analyses done for solutions and explaining Caltrans’ recommendations, said Steve Welborn, Caltrans public affairs manager. “Caltrans would like to inform the community that we are aware of the issues, actively working on a solution, and soliciting feedback,” Welborn said in a March 23 email.
• $4.5M Sacramento County bridge replacement project to close road for months (Fox 40). A bridge replacement project near Galt in southern Sacramento County will shut down a nearly three-mile stretch of New Hope Road for several months. The project will demolish and replace the New Hope Road Bridge at Grizzly Slough, Sacramento County Department of Transportation said in a news release. New Hope Road will be closed from Orr Road near Galt to West New Hope Road between April 10 and November 30, 2026. Access will be maintained for residents during construction.
• Weekend-Long Closure Of 405 Freeway Set For April (Los Angeles, CA Patch). Traffic will be impacted on the 405 Freeway and nearby roads in April when construction will shut down several lanes of the interstate near the Sepulveda Pass. The northbound freeway will be reduced to three lanes from 10 p.m. Friday, April 10 through 5 a.m. Monday, April 13. Additionally, one ramp will be closed.
• Old US 60 in eastern Moreno Valley (Southern California Regional Rocks and Roads). A short section of original US 60 can be found east of the intersection of Allesandro Blvd and Gilman Springs Road in the eastern Moreno Valley. This section of US 60 was bypassed by the current alignment, now State Route 60, in 1936. Gilman Springs Road, at that time, became State Route 79, which was rerouted onto Lamb Canyon Road to the east in 1963.
• 😁 Metro Chutes and Ladders (FB/LA Metro). We’re proud to announce Metro Chutes and Ladders, our latest — and most planet-friendly-yet — way to slide around LA! Riding is easy as buttering toast: •Take a bus or train to a ⛰️ near home, work or anywhere else •Clamber thousands of feet up to the summit •Surrender to gravity & whoosh on down

Gribblenation Blog (Tom Fearer)

• Abandoned Fowler Avenue in Clovis, California. Originally Fowler Avenue in the city of Clovis had a brief discontinuation approaching Herndon Avenue. Fowler Avenue traffic heading northbound was required to detour briefly onto westbound Herndon Avenue. During 2001 this discontinuation was removed when Fowler Avenue was reconfigured to access the Sierra Freeway (California State Route 168) via an interchange. This led to a segment of the original alignment of Fowler Avenue just south of Herndon Avenue to be abandoned. Despite a shopping center opening over part of the original Fowler Avenue alignment in 2016 much of the abandoned roadway remains.
• Rock River Road (Tuolumne County and Stanislaus County). Rock River Road is an approximately 9.3-mile-long rural highway corridor located in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Tuolumne County and Stanislaus County. As presently configured Rock River Road begins at Green Springs Road (former California State Route 120) near Keystone in Tuolumne County and terminates in Willms Road near Warnerville in Stanislaus County.
• Campus Parkway (Merced, California). Campus Parkway is a 4.5-mile expressway corridor located in and around the city of Merced. Campus Parkway spans from California State Route 99 to Yosemite Avenue and is part of the larger conceptual Campus Loop corridor. The Campus Loop in full scale a series of planned roadways which if built will encircle Merced with an expressway grade beltway and permit easier access to the University of California-Merced campus. Campus Parkway was completed in three phases in 2009, 2020 and 2022.
• Penon Blanco Road (Mariposa County). Penon Blanco Road is an approximately 4.5 mile rural one-lane highway located in the Coulterville area of Mariposa County. This highway is named after the ghost town of Peñón Blanco and was once part of a cutoff from Don Pedro Bar to Big Oak Flat. The Peñón Blanco town site was established near the namesake Peñón Blanco Mine in 1849. The Peñón Blanco Mine extracted hard rock gold ore which would consume the town site during the 1860s.
• Jacksonville Road (Tuolumne County). Jacksonville Road is an approximately 10-mile-long rural highway located in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Tuolumne County. The corridor of Jacksonville Road begins at California State Routes 49 and 120 at the Don Pedro Reservoir and extends northward to Campo Seco Road at the outskirts of Jamestown. Jacksonville Road is named after the former community of Jacksonville. Jacksonville had been founded in 1849 during the height of the California Gold Rush. The town site was ultimately razed and submerged during the expansion of the Don Pedro Reservoir in the late 1960s.
• Algerine Road (Tuolumne County). Algerine Road is a 4.4 mile mostly single lane rural highway located in Tuolumne County. The corridor of Algerine Road begins at Jacksonville Road near the outskirts of Jamestown and terminates at the intersection of Twist Road and Algerine-Wards Ferry Road.
• Old Wards Ferry Road. Old Wards Ferry Road is an approximately 3.6-mile portion of the original alignment of Wards Ferry Road located near the city of Sonora, California. As currently configured this older alignment begins at modern Wards Ferry Road near Curtis Creek and terminates in Sonora at Sanguinetti Road. The Olds Wards Ferry Road corridor is largely defined by the single lane 1914-era arch concrete bridge at Curtis Creek.
• Former California State Route 4 on Main Street in Douglas Flat. Douglas Flat is a small former mining community founded in the 1850s in Calaveras County between Vallecito and Murphys. When California State Route 4 was commissioned in 1934 it followed the existing highway corridor through Douglas Flat via Main Street. The original corridor would persist until 1961 when Main Street was bypassed a new alignment located a short distance eastward. The 1961-era bypass of Douglas Flat was part of larger project which saw California State Route 4 also bypass Vallecito and Murphys.
• Sheep Ranch Road (Calaveras County). Sheep Ranch Road is an approximately 13.4-mile rural highway located in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Calaveras County. This roadway begins at Main Street in the town of Murphys and terminates at Railroad Flat Road after passing through the namesake community of Sheep Ranch. Sheep Ranch is a town site which was plotted following the discovery of gold in 1860 at ranching lands owned by George Johnson. The community is most famous for the Sheep Ranch Mine which was worked from 1867-1942.
• Jesus Maria Road (Calaveras County). Jesus Maria Road is a mostly single lane rural highway corridor located in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Calaveras County. As presently configured Jesus Maria Road begins at Railroad Flat Road and extends approximately 13 miles west to California State Route 26 near Mokelumne Hill.
• Did Caltrans just kill the G26 cutout US Route shields?. The US Route System was formally created by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926. Through the history of the system the only state to which has elected to maintain cutout US Route shields has been California. The G26 series cutout US Route shields have become a favorite in the road enthusiast hobby and are generally considered to be much more visually pleasing than the standard Federal Highway Administration variant. However, the G26 shield series appears to have been killed off on January 18, 2026, when Caltrans updated their Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
• Frazier Mountain Park Road. Frazier Mountain Park Road is an approximately 7.1-mile-long rural highway located Cuddy Canyon of Kern County. This corridor begins at Interstate 5 Exit 205 and extends through the community of Frazier Park to the junction of Lockwood Valley Road and Cuddy Valley Road. Frazier Mountain Park Road is presently maintained as Kern County Mountain Road 368. Frazier Mountain Park Road essentially is a modernization of El Camino Viejo which had been in common use as early as 1780.

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