Looking west at Sixth Street, now open under Highway 101 in Santa Rosa. Road Warrior photo

There’s a new way to get under Highway 101 in Santa Rosa: The city has opened the Sixth Street underpass at the northwest tip of Santa Rosa Plaza.

Finishing touches are still going on, but the $1.1 million project reconnects two stretches of Sixth Street that had ended at Highway 101. Years ago, Sixth Street had gone through but when Highway 101 was elevated, that construction severed the road.

The reopening also has changed traffic flows: Westbound drivers on Sixth used to have to turn south on Morgan Street and then west on Fifth Street to get to Railroad Square. Now, Morgan Street is one-way north and westbound drivers must go under 101 to Davis Street to get to Railroad Square. For drivers getting off southbound 101 at the downtown exit, they now can make a left onto Sixth to get to Santa Rosa Plaza or downtown.

City officials have said Caltrans originally planned to connect the two parts of Sixth during its Highway 101 widening project but dropped that work to save money.

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