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 »

Highway 20 roundabout under construction

Monday, at 4:13 by

  Caltrans has started building a roundabout on Highway 20 at Nice-Lucerne Cutoff Road in an attempt to improve safety at the Lake County intersection. A Caltrans statement said the collision rate at the intersection near Nice is more than five times the statewide average for similar intersections. “The roundabout will reduce the number and severity of collisions,” the statement said. “It will also lower vehicle emissions by lessening idle times compared to a traffic signal.” The project is estimated… Read More »

Crashes up, fatalities, tickets down in Sonoma County

Monday, at 9:53 by

Traffic crashes rose last year, but fatalities dropped as did tickets and DUI arrests by the Sonoma County CHP, according to the latest statistics. A total of 2,485 crashes were investigated by the local CHP, which covers Sonoma County except for part of the Sonoma Valley. That’s up from 2,405 in 2010 and 2,324 in 2009. Sixteen people died in last year’s crashes — “that’s the lowest number in a long time,” said CHP Officer Jon Sloat, the spokesman for… 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 »

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 »

Key road in Lake to be closed

Wednesday, at 10:02 by

The Nice-Lucerne Cutoff, a key road in Lake County, will be closed for the next several days, starting today, to allow county crews to repair sections of the battered road. The road will be closed 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. — open on the weekend — from Lakeshore Boulevard to about a half mile west of Stokes Avenue, said Steve Stangland, the county’s road superintendent. The work is suppose to wrap up on Thursday, Nov. 10, but Stangland said if… 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 »