Category Archives: Infrastructure

Articles, Economy, Health, Infrastructure, Local Government, Transportation

Chris Howard Pushes For Last Chance Grade Advocacy As Del Norte Develops Legislative Platform

Leave a comment

Thumbnail image: District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard urged his colleagues on Tuesday to advocate for the tunnel project around Last Chance Grade in the Board’s 2026 Legislative Platform. | Image Courtesy of Caltrans District 1.

Days after he returned from a visit to Japan, District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard touted that country’s tunnel-building prowess when he urged his colleagues to step up advocacy for Last Chance Grade.

During a discussion of the county’s 2026 Legislative Platform on Tuesday, Howard said he wanted to explore how Japan’s innovative techniques could apply to the Last Chance Grade tunnel project. He also told his colleagues that Caltrans still needs a Coastal Development Permit from the California Coastal Commission for the project despite completing nearly a decade of environmental studies.

Howard asked Assistant County Administrative Officer Randy Hooper to include advocacy for an exemption from that hurdle in the platform.

Continue reading Chris Howard Pushes For Last Chance Grade Advocacy As Del Norte Develops Legislative Platform →
Articles, Infrastructure, Local Government

Del Norte BOS Recap: New Compensation Rate for County Supervisors; Team-Approach to Capital Improvements; New Truck

Leave a comment

District 1 Supervisor Darrin Short was absent. Among the items discussed at Tuesday’s Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Meeting:

County Supervisors Compensation: Supervisors approved an ordinance that set their biweekly compensation rate at $2,277.67 regardless of how many terms they serve in office. The ordinance adds language to a provision in county code that justifies an extra $100 the Board chair receives, which is also paid biweekly. 

It also offers a cost of living adjustment for county supervisors that will be between 2.5% and 4% each year based on the Western Region Consumer Price Index.  According to the county’s staff report, the Board of Supervisors will be required to review this COLA every three years starting in 2029 and can, by a four-fifths vote, waive that adjustment.

Continue reading Del Norte BOS Recap: New Compensation Rate for County Supervisors; Team-Approach to Capital Improvements; New Truck →
Articles, Community News, Infrastructure, Transportation

Del Norte’s Friendship With Rikuzentakata May Influence Last Chance Grade Tunnel Project

1 Comment
Thumbnail photo: Jaime Matteoli, Caltrans’ Last Chance Grade corridor manager, and Caltrans District 1 Director Matt Brady visit with Japan’s Ministry of Land Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism during a recent visit. | Photo courtesy of Chris Howard. Above: Caltrans chose a 1-mile long tunnel out of several alternatives for rerouting U.S. 101 around the slide at Last Chance Grade. | Image courtesy of Caltrans District 1

Jaime Matteoli returned from his Japan trip excited about the ongoing collaboration he hopes to have with his counterparts at that country’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

Matteoli said he hopes to gain some wisdom from the lessons his colleagues across the Pacific have learned as Caltrans begins refining its design for the 1-mile long tunnel at the Last Chance Grade landslide south of Crescent City.

But he called the trip special for another reason: The Japanese people still remember the role a handful of Del Norte High School students played in bringing a 20-foot fishing vessel home to Rikuzentakata two years after the 2011 tsunami.

“To stand by Kamome and visit the site of Rikuzentakata — it was on our way past the tunnel project in the Sanriku expressway — I felt proud of our community, proud of the youth,” Matteoli told Redwood Voice Community News on Monday. “It all started with young people providing an act of kindness to the people of Japan. We heard from many people, including the vice minister of MLIT, who expressed gratitude for their support.”

Continue reading Del Norte’s Friendship With Rikuzentakata May Influence Last Chance Grade Tunnel Project →
Articles, Infrastructure, Local Government, Transportation

Crescent City Seeks Caltrans Grant To Tame U.S. 101 ‘Concrete Jungle’

Leave a comment

Thumbnail: Crescent City is pursuing a Caltrans grant that would make its highway corridor safer for all modes of transportation and tie its downtown area to the Crescent City Harbor. | Screenshot

As Crescent City focuses on revitalizing its downtown, City Manager Eric Wier asked councilors to give a thought to the highway corridor.

Describing M and L streets as a hardscape dominated by pavement, sidewalks and buildings, Wier urged councilors to pursue a Caltrans grant aimed at addressing all modes of transportation. He envisioned more greenery, possibly reducing the number of lanes on the northbound side and building wider sidewalks in order to reduce the amount of highway someone has to cross to get to Safeway.

“A big part of the experience when you come into Crescent City is that highway corridor,” Wier said. “It is the downtown, but it’s not really part of the downtown. You have Caltrans and highway facilities coming through there so it really does need its own plan.”

Continue reading Crescent City Seeks Caltrans Grant To Tame U.S. 101 ‘Concrete Jungle’ →
Articles, Crescent City, Infrastructure, Local Government

Crescent City Councilors Seek To Fill Vacancy, Approve Water Well Project, Sea Rise Grant Application

Leave a comment

Crescent City Councilor Jason Greenough was absent. Among the items discussed at Monday’s meeting:

Vacancy: Crescent City is accepting applications to fill the vacant seat left behind by Daran Dooley, who resigned in October. Applications will be accepted through 5 p.m. on Dec. 1. The City Council will then conduct interviews with a goal of swearing a candidate in at its regular meeting Dec. 15, City Manager Eric Wier said. Applications can be obtained by visiting www.crescentcity.org. 

Water redundancy: Councilors awarded a $272,900 contract to GHD to design and provide project management for a redundant water well that could be used if tapping into the Smith River isn’t an option.

Continue reading Crescent City Councilors Seek To Fill Vacancy, Approve Water Well Project, Sea Rise Grant Application →
Articles, CC Harbor, Environment, Infrastructure

State Water Board Sends Notice to Harbor District Over Hazardous Waste At Former Fashion Blacksmith Site

Leave a comment

Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

State water quality officials are seeking answers from the Crescent City Harbor District about a hazardous waste issue concerning the former Fashion Blacksmith site.

Harbor commissioners on Wednesday approved a proposal to increase the scope of work that Eureka-based consultant SHN performed to include taking additional samples from a pile of sediment that’s in the water. 

The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board is seeking two additional samples from the bottom of the pile that’s in the water, Community System Solutions CEO Mike Bahr told commissioners. It’s seeking more information about the levels of aluminum, barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, titanium and zinc. 

Continue reading State Water Board Sends Notice to Harbor District Over Hazardous Waste At Former Fashion Blacksmith Site →
Articles, Environment, Infrastructure, Transportation

Dean Wilson Proposes Mitigation Exemptions For Counties With Vast Swaths of Public Lands

1 Comment

Thumbnail image: Dean Wilson mentioned a tunnel project around Last Chance Grade south of Crescent City as a potential project that would require Caltrans with mitigation requirements. | Image courtesy of Caltrans District 1

Five months after his colleague suggested banking county properties for mitigation purposes, District 5 Supervisor Dean Wilson said he’s searching for someone who can propose legislation that would exempt counties like Del Norte from that requirement.

Wilson said Wednesday that his proposed legislation would apply to Del Norte County and others that house vast swaths of public and tribal lands. To illustrate why a mitigation exemption is critical to Del Norte, he pointed to two impending projects on U.S. 101 — the tunnel bypass around Last Chance Grade and efforts to protect the highway from sea level rise near South Beach.

Wilson also mentioned a runway safety project the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority completed about 12 years ago. In that situation, the requirement came from the California Coastal Commission. And while the BCRAA spearheaded the project, it fell to the county to find the land to meet those mitigation requirements.

Continue reading Dean Wilson Proposes Mitigation Exemptions For Counties With Vast Swaths of Public Lands →
Articles, Gasquet, Infrastructure, Smith River, Transportation

Caltrans May Use Bollards As Visual Incentive To Reduce Speeding on 199; Pedestrian Killed After Being Struck By Car On Oct. 26, CHP Reports

Leave a comment

Thumbnail Photo by Akampfer via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License.

A month after California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1014 into law, the Del Norte Local Transportation Commission’s Tamera Leighton said Caltrans is working on a more visible incentive to get people to slow down on U.S. 199.

During a U.S. 199/197 safety update at Tuesday’s DNLTC meeting, Leighton, the agency’s executive director, said that Caltrans is eager to move forward on the use of traffic bollards to discourage unsafe passing in Gasquet. The regional transportation planning agency will also be conducting outreach in Hiouchi to gauge community opinion on a similar project, she said.

During her update, however, Leighton told commissioners that she and District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard, who represents Gasquet and Hiouchi, are running into roadblocks when it comes to receiving information about collisions in the area from the California Highway Patrol. She characterized it as a misunderstanding and pointed to a recent fatality that occurred on U.S. 199 as an example.

Continue reading Caltrans May Use Bollards As Visual Incentive To Reduce Speeding on 199; Pedestrian Killed After Being Struck By Car On Oct. 26, CHP Reports →
Articles, Health, Infrastructure, Transportation

Transportation Commission Kicks In Funding For Road Improvements Related To Homeless Shelter

Leave a comment

Thumbnail image courtesy of the Del Norte County Department of Health and Human Services

Transportation commissioners provided support for two Del Norte County projects on Tuesday, including one associated with its emergency homeless shelter and micro village campus.

The Del Norte Local Transportation Commission awarded a total of $572,240 to Del Norte County for the Williams Drive Access Improvement for Vulnerable Road Users Project. According to the DNLTC’s staff report, $492,240 is coming from Regional Surface Transportation Program funding and $80,000 is coming from Transportation Development Act dollars.

Del Norte received two Highway Safety Improvement Program grants totaling $441,260, but the estimated project cost is more than $1 million, Assistant County Engineer Rosanna Bower said in a Sept. 22 letter to the commission. The $572,240 funding shortfall includes a required local match for the two grants of $49,030, she said.

Continue reading Transportation Commission Kicks In Funding For Road Improvements Related To Homeless Shelter →
Articles, Infrastructure, Transportation

Federal Subsidy Del Norte, Curry Relies On For Air Service Is Extended Till Nov. 18, U.S. DOT Says

1 Comment

Thumbnail image courtesy of Border Coast Regional Airport Authority

The federal subsidy that allows Advanced Air to serve Del Norte and Curry counties will continue through Nov. 18.

If the federal government shutdown extends beyond Nov. 18, the U.S. Department of Transportation states it will “provide notice to air carriers and communities” in advance, according to a Wednesday notice.

“We’re at the mercy of the system at this point,” Border Coast Regional Airport Authority Director Sean Rosenthal told Redwood Voice Community News. “It’s kind of like starting all over again from the last notice.”

Continue reading Federal Subsidy Del Norte, Curry Relies On For Air Service Is Extended Till Nov. 18, U.S. DOT Says →