California approves $35 million for Highway 46 improvements

April 3, 2024

 

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

The California Transportation Commission last month approved $35 million in construction funds for the first phase of a Highway 46 improvement project in northeastern San Luis Obispo County near the Kern County line. 

Caltrans District 5 and the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) announced the funding, which will go toward improving the Antelope Grade section of Highway 46. Phase 1 of the project will convert 1.3 miles of the two-lane highway into a four-lane expressway. 

The larger initiative, the Highway 46 Corridor Improvement Project, is intended to improve safety and mobility to and from San Luis Obispo County. The dual-phased project entails the conversion of a 3.6-mile stretch of Highway 46 into an expressway, establishing a vital link between the existing four-lane expressway section in Kern County and the ongoing construction of the “Y” segment. The now-funded Segment 1 stretches from Antelope Road to the San Luis Obispo County-Kern County line.

Officials say this connection will create a seamless east-west corridor of a four-lane expressway from Interstate 5 to Highway 101. Trucks account for about 20% of daily traffic along the route. The corridor also facilities weekend visitors coming to the Central Coast.

Segment 2 of the project, the Antelope Grade section, is still lacking $70 million in funding, officials say. The second segment will consist of the construction of a four-lane expressway featuring a 62-foot median positioned along a new alignment parallel to the existing highway corridor to the north. The new alignment would meet design standards for safety and would have flatter grades than the existing alignment. 

“We are pleased to see this funding allocation help us improve infrastructure along a critical corridor connecting the Central Coast and Central Valley,” Caltrans District 5 Director Scott Eades said in a statement. “This project will improve safety and reduce congestion for thousands of travelers on this major east-west route.”