A Press Democrat Blog

Road Warrior

Trying to make sense out of getting around

Final part of Mendocino/Lake paving project gets under way

Monday, at 4:47 by

The Mendocino County leg of a Caltrans repaving project is under way. Work began Monday on a nearly 10.5-mile stretch of Highway 175  from Highway 101 in Hopland to just past the Lake County line, and it’ll cause traffic delays of up to 15 minutes for drivers. The work will be 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and is expected to last into the summer, Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie Jr. said. The $17.6 million project began last summer in Lake… Read More »

10 mattresses and more picked up along North Coast highways

Wednesday, at 4:45 by

The North Coast’s highways are a bit cleaner these days, especially Highway 53 in Lake County. The highway is only about 7.5 miles long, from Lower Lake to Clearlake Oaks. But Caltrans considers it the dirtiest highway in Lake and Mendocino counties. So last Thursday, which was designated Caltrans’ statewide Annual Litter Day, it probably came as no surprise to the maintenance crews who went out to pick up litter and other garbage along 53 to discover 10 mattresses along… Read More »

Traffic lights or roundabout for Hwy. 20/29 intersection?

Thursday, at 10:20 by

Caltrans today will hold an open house in Upper Lake to present information about two alternatives to improve safety at the intersection of  Highways 20 and 29: Traffic lights or a roundabout. “The project is needed because the collision rate at the intersection is 3.7 times greater than the statewide average for similar intersections,” Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie Jr. said in a statement. At today’s open house, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Upper Lake Middle Schools gym, the public… Read More »

Traffic delays along ‘Tunnel of Elms’ in St. Helena

Saturday, at 8:09 by

St. Helena’s “Tunnel of Elms” is getting spruced up, and that means some traffic delays. Caltrans said it’ll have crews trimming dead and overhanging tree branches along a 1,400-foot stretch of Highway 29 next to Beringer Winery in St. Helena. The work, weather permitting, is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. One-way traffic control will be in effect, so expect some delays. Caltrans said crews also will inspect the trees for disease and damage but emphasized… Read More »

Mendocino, Lake road work

Friday, at 12:02 by

Caltrans announced it’s planning road work, weather permitting, that likely will cause some traffic delays in Lake and Mendocino counties: LAKE COUNTY –Highway 20, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, routine maintenance near Sulfur Bank Drive. One-way traffic control and possible 10-minute traffic delays. –Highway 20, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, routine maintenance near Paradise Cove. One-way traffic control and possible 10-minute traffic delays. –Highway 20, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, pavement repairs from Highway 53 to North… Read More »

Safety measure at dangerous Lake intersection

Friday, at 9:48 by

One of Lake County’s most dangerous intersections is being changed Monday. The intersection of Highway 29 and Hartmann Road in Hidden Valley will become a three-way stop. Now, there’s only a stop sign at Hartmann. Three people have been killed in collisions at the intersection in the last 17 months. Caltrans at first planned only to install flashing beacons to warn drivers of the intersection. But officials said they decided that with an increase in the number of intersections in… Read More »

Hwy. 29 repaving finally under way

Friday, at 12:00 by

A long awaited repaving of Highway 29 in Lake County is set to start today. Crews will begin at Spruce Grove Road in Hidden Valley and work their way west toward the Napa County line. Work hours today will be 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and then beginning Sunday work will be at night from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Friday. One-way traffic control will be in effect where the paving is being done, and 10-minute traffic delays… Read More »

Napa road project to affect traffic

Saturday, at 10:07 by

One-way traffic controls will be in effect as crews will be grinding out and repaving deteriorating sections of Highway 29 in Napa County starting Sunday night and continuing through basically the rest of the month. The work will be 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Friday, with the work zone from the Airport Boulevard/Highway 12 intersection on the south to Lincoln Avenue to the north. Caltrans spokesman Marcus Wagner said the work should wrap up by Aug. 29.

Safety changes at deadly Lake intersection

Wednesday, at 7:52 by

Caltrans is stepping up safety at an intersection in Lake County after three people were killed in collisions there in the last 14 months. Initially, Caltrans planned to install flashing beacons at Highway 29 and Hartmann Road in Hidden Valley Lake but now plans to turn the intersection into a three-way stop. At some point in the long term, Caltrans wants to reroute Hartmann Road to the north to connect with Highway 29 at Arabian Lane. “The flashing beacons were… Read More »

Lake meeting on Caltrans projects

Saturday, at 7:00 by

In an apparent effort to reach out to residents unhappy with Caltrans’ work last summer, the agency on Tuesday night will hold an information meeting in Middletown to explain two road projects being done this summer. One project — flashing warning lights on Highway 29 at Hartmann Road in Hidden Valley Lake — already is under way. The second — the repaving of Highway 29 and 175 — is due to begin later this summer. It’s that repaving work that… Read More »