Many readers have asked about the “earthen mound” that is rising in the center median on Highway 101 just south of the Petaluma River Bridge. “What’s the plan here?” one reader asked.

Well, according to Caltrans, the plan is to raise this section of Highway 101 by more than 20 feet. A raised roadway will provide better sight lines for drivers as they head north on the approach to the Petaluma River Bridge. On the current highway, drivers can’t see the bridge until they crest the rise just before the start of the bridge. When the new road is completed, drivers will begin rising near the new Kastania Road overpass. They will actually drive down onto the Petaluma River Bridge.

Caltrans is raising the roadway in the median first. This will tie in with the construction of the widened Petaluma River Bridge, which is also expanding at first in the median. Eventually, northbound traffic will shift onto the median and the northbound lanes will be raised. The southbound lanes will follow. The project is expected to continue through 2016.