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 »

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 »

Highway 1 bridge in Mendocino County being replaced

Monday, at 10:36 by

A two-and-a-half-year, $20.5 million project to replace an ailing bridge on Highway 1 in Mendocino County is under way, and drivers can expect some traffic delays. Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie Jr. said in a statement that the 56-year-old Greenwood Creek Bridge near Elk “is nearing the end of its service life” and ‘is in need of deck rehabilitation and rail replacement.” He said the creek’s channel shifted over the years and has exposed one of the footings for the bridge.… 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 »

Mendocino highway projects OK’d

Friday, at 9:03 by

The state Transportation Commission this month several million dollars for two storm repair projects on Mendocino County highways. On Highway 1 near Elk, $1.65 million will be spent to realign the road and fix damage from storms in the 2005-2006 winter. The road will be shifted to the east because of an unstable slope, Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie Jr. said. On Highway 253 near Boonville, $1.54 million is targeted for repairing two slipouts that also occurred in the winter of… Read More »

Hwy. 101 slide area bedevils Caltrans

Tuesday, at 7:30 by

A landslide has proven that it is mightier than Caltrans. Caltrans this spring thought it had fixed the troublesome landslide on Highway 101 in Mendocino County about five miles north of the Sonoma County line near the area known as Squaw Rock. But crews this week have returned after the slide again began pushing under the highway and lifting up the pavement, Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie Jr. said. He said the late spring rains reinvigorated the slide. And today’s unusual… Read More »

New local road projects OK’d

Tuesday, at 7:01 by

The state Transportation Commission last week approved several road projects for Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma counties, with the biggest chunk being $45 million to replace the Highway 101 bridges over the Petaluma River with wider spans to allow car-pool lanes. Click here to read about that. Among the other projects approved locally are: –$6.1 million to repave stretches of Highways 29 and 53 in Lake County. The Highway 29 work will go from just south of the junction with Highway… Read More »

Fort Bragg’s $4.4 million roundabout

Wednesday, at 6:22 by

After more than four years of planning and preparation at a cost of about $2.8 million, Caltrans is ready to break ground to build a roundabout on Highway 1 just south of Fort Bragg. Construction was estimated at $1.6 million, for a total cost of $4.4 million, but last week Fedco Construction Inc. of Santa Rosa was awarded the contract on a bid of $1.36 million, so the total cost should be less, around $4.2 million. Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie… Read More »

Traffic delays likely on Highway 20

Saturday, at 8:18 by

Caltrans is warning of 20-minute delays next week as crews begin to install rumble strips on Highway 20 in Mendocino and Lake counties. The work will be 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and will require intermittent, one-way traffic control. The project goes from the eastern Cold Creek Bridge in Mendocino County east to Highway 29 in Lake County.