CalTrans issued a ‘reminder’ for travelers on U.S. 199 and Route 197 northeast of Crescent City, that travelers should continue to plan for traffic delays. Travelers should to expect 10-minute weekday delays at work locations, which will be listed in the weekly Road Information Bulletin at tinyurl.com/d1roads, typically refreshed Thursday afternoons.
Full closures have been pushed back to September, however, when full closures do begin, they are expected Tuesdays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with occasional week-to-week pauses possible. Closures will only affect specific spot locations, not the full corridor all at once.
These closures will be needed for worker and traveler safety during operations such as rock blasting and slope stabilization and will reduce the project timeline by about four years.
Permanent posted speed limits will not change as part of this project. However, temporary speed reductions are in place at signal locations, reducing speed limits to 35 mph within the signal traffic control areas. Please pay attention to signage and give yourself ample stopping time, especially with increased holiday weekend traffic. Stopped queues can come up quickly on this winding road.
The project, intended to upgrade a few tight and narrow spots on Route 197 and U.S. 199, targets improvements, amending only 1.7 miles of roadway, also include bridge work, drainage improvements, pavement upgrades, guardrail installation and slope stabilization.
It will also allow industry-standard larger, longer tractor-trailers that meet federal law standards to use the corridor, improving goods movement without causing a major jump in truck traffic or higher speed limits. Wider lanes, wider shoulders, longer curve radii and better sight distance are designed to make the roadway safer for all travelers.
