Category Archives: Transportation

Education, Transportation

New Transportation Director Describes Smooth Start To School Year

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Thumbnail photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Jenna Lussier raved about her bus drivers and staff.

Four days after students returned to class, the new transportation director told Del Norte Unified School District trustees that her staff has been working extra time to make sure Klamath students are picked up. She also mentioned special efforts being made for youngsters at Redwood and Pine Grove schools.

“We are working diligently to get our children where they need to go,” Lussier said. “We had a couple of hiccups, but I think today those hiccups have been resolved…. I just want to thank my drivers because they’re making it awesome.”

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Articles, CC Harbor, Local Government, Transportation

Crescent City Harbor District Recap, Aug. 26, 2026

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Thumbnail photo: Crescent City Harbor commissioners received a report on the structural conditions of several structures including the former Fashion Blacksmith building on Starfish Way. | Photo by Gavin Van Alstine

Commission Annie Nehmer was absent. Among the items discussed at Wednesday’s Crescent City Harbor District meeting.

Infrastructure Assessment: Promising a more formal presentation at CCHD’s Sept. 16 meeting, Harbormaster Mike Rademaker introduced commissioners to GHD’s structural condition assessment of several of the buildings at the port. 

“It does identify a lot of the challenges that we’re facing trying to rehab these buildings and come up with funding,” Rademaker said. “But fortunately we’ve got some investment from some other companies, such as Ocean Gold, that are going to help us address some of these infrastructure challenges.”

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Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure, Local Government, Transportation

(UPDATED) Citizens Dock, Seawall Projects Set To Enter Final Design Phase With In-Water Construction Scheduled to Start July 1, 2027

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Thumbnail photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Updated at 1:15 p.m. Monday to clarify items regarding how long Kimley-Horn has been working with CCHD and to add more information regarding their proposal.

Nearly three months Two months after becoming project manager for the federally-funded seawall replacement and Citizens Dock rebuild, Kimley-Horn representatives say Sept. 23 is the “kickoff date” for the endeavor’s final design phase.

After that Sept. 23 “kick off meeting,” Kimley-Horn will be vetting contractors and ensuring the project has the permits needed for in-water construction to begin by July 1, 2027, said Jerry Holcomb, an engineer who focuses on ports, maritime and waterfront projects for the firm.

“As project manager, the thing we’re going to try and make sure everybody understands is, kind of working back from that date, how do we make sure we’ve got the bids in place.” Holcomb told Crescent City Harbor Commissioners on Wednesday. “How do we make sure that we’ve got the contractor already mobilized … so they’re there ready to start on Day One.”

Continue reading (UPDATED) Citizens Dock, Seawall Projects Set To Enter Final Design Phase With In-Water Construction Scheduled to Start July 1, 2027 →
Articles, Infrastructure, Local Government, Transportation

Del Norte Supervisors Appoint Gerry Hemmingsen to Airport Board’s Public Member Seat; JPA Voted For Someone Else

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Andrew Goff

Four Del Norte County supervisors on Tuesday chose their former colleague, Gerry Hemmingsen, over Cal-Ore Life Flight employee Mark Weaver to serve on the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority’s governing body.

Their action ran counter to a 5-3 vote BCRAA commissioners took after multiple split decisions on Aug. 6 to appoint Weaver to Del Norte’s third seat on the joint powers authority with Hemmingsen serving as his alternate. 

According to District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard, who sits on the BCRAA Board with District 1 representative Darrin Short, there currently isn’t a mechanism for the JPA’s public member to have an alternate. 

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Articles, Economy, Infrastructure, Transportation

Starkey, Howard Urge Local Advocacy As Last Chance Grade Project Enters Design Phase; ‘Real Hurdle’ Is Finding $2-Plus Billion For Construction, Starkey Says

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Thumbnail image: Conceptual art of the 1.1 mile-long tunnel that will allow U.S. 101 to avoid the Last Chance Grade landslide area south of Crescent City | Image courtesy of Caltrans District 1

Efforts to re-route U.S. 101 around Last Chance Grade reached a milestone on Friday after the California Transportation Commission approved funding for the project’s design and engineering phase.

But Del Norte County supervisors Chris Howard and Valerie Starkey, who attended the commission’s meeting in San Diego, say local advocacy at the state and federal level is imperative for the 6,000-foot tunnel project to continue to advance toward construction.

“What was interesting about the CTC meeting was when they got to the funding portion of it, the staff member from CTC (said) we’re supporting this, but this is the largest chunk of money we put out for one specific project,” Starkey told Redwood Voice Community News on Monday. “They said we never awarded this much money. We’ve never supported this much money going to just one project, but we understand the importance of it.”

Continue reading Starkey, Howard Urge Local Advocacy As Last Chance Grade Project Enters Design Phase; ‘Real Hurdle’ Is Finding $2-Plus Billion For Construction, Starkey Says →
Articles, Local Government, Transportation

Airport Director Discusses BCRAA’s Reduced 2026-27 Budget, Line Of Credit From Del Norte County

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Andrew Goff

Two weeks after they extended a line of credit to the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority, Del Norte County supervisors on Tuesday approved an airport authority budget its director said was balanced after “we trimmed and trimmed.”

BCRAA’s 2026-27 budget calls for projected revenues and expenditures of about $6.78 million, down from the $13.73 million the authority’s original 2025-26 budget called for and the $13.74 million that was in its revised budget. 

Fewer grant-funded projects expected this fiscal year is the main reason for the difference, Airport Authority Director Sean Rosenthal told Redwood Voice Community News on Thursday. Those projects include rehabilitation of Runway 18-36 and the purchase of an airport fire rescue truck, both of which were paid for with Federal Aviation Administration dollars, he said.

“It’s those really large projects that make the airport budget fluctuate so,” he said. “Probably this would be one of the leaner years, but that’s, again, due to the fact that we have less projects than we did last year. The next one will be when we do Runway 12-30 in a few years.”

Continue reading Airport Director Discusses BCRAA’s Reduced 2026-27 Budget, Line Of Credit From Del Norte County →
Articles, Crescent City, Infrastructure, Transportation

Front Street’s Completion Is Ahead, Though Motorists Will Have To Contend With A Couple Detours

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Thumbnail image courtesy of Crescent City

Motorists will soon encounter a detour on Front Street near the Cultural Center and on K Street near the Redwood National and State Parks visitors center.

“This coming Monday, a week from today, we’re going to be looking at the closure of Front Street,” City Manager Eric Wier told the City Council on Monday, stating that the storm drain reconstruction project is moving ahead of schedule. “It’s good in the fact that our project is progressing and we’ll be able to get it done this year, but it is going to be an inconvenience. For that, we apologize to the community.”

Front Street will be closed from U.S. 101 to Play Street starting Wednesday, Wier told Redwood Voice Community News. K Street will also be closed between 2nd Street and Front Street. Motorists should expect the closure to last through November.

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Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure, Transportation

CCHD Commissioners Drag Feet On Key Citizens Dock Project-Related Appointments; Project Grants Manager Says Work Won’t Slow

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Thumbnail photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Despite selecting a project manager and a grant manager for the Citizens Dock rebuild and seawall replacement last week, Crescent City Harbor commissioners delayed approving the contract that would allow them to start work.

CCHD Board Chairman Rick Shepherd asked his colleagues to wait until the district’s next regular meeting to consider the contracts between Kimley-Horn and Community System Solutions. 

At a special meeting Friday, Shepherd said he felt the public didn’t have sufficient time to review the proposed agreements. Though he and his colleagues decided to award the grant manager contract to Fair Oaks-based Community System Solutions, Shepherd still had questions about the firm’s role in the overall project.

“There’s still a gray area between grant manager and finance director and having another accountant in between that. That needs to be explained to me,” he said.

Continue reading CCHD Commissioners Drag Feet On Key Citizens Dock Project-Related Appointments; Project Grants Manager Says Work Won’t Slow →
Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure, Transportation

CCHD Board Fills Project, Grant Manager Roles For Citizens Dock, Seawall Endeavors

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Thumbnail photo by Jessica C. Andrews

Crescent City Harbor commissioners on Wednesday selected a project manager and a grant manager for the seawall replacement and Citizens Dock rebuild.

Instead of picking a firm to negotiate an agreement with, the Board unanimously voted to award the grant manager contract to Community System Solutions. The Fair Oaks-based nonprofit helped the Crescent City Harbor District obtain the two U.S. Maritime Administration Port Infrastructure awards paying for the project.

Commissioners also decided that Kimley-Horn should be the overall project manager, noting that while GHD’s proposal was impressive, it was too expensive. 

CCHD Board Chair Rick Shepherd and Vice Chair John Evans also noted that Kimley-Horn Principal-in-Charge Rob Sloop had been with Moffatt & Nichol, the architect firm that designed the seawall and Citizens Dock projects.

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Articles, Traffic, Transportation

Two-Vehicle Collision in Smith River Results In Overturned Semi

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of the California Highway Patrol

California Highway Patrol officers are investigating a two-vehicle collision that resulted in a tractor-trailer overturning on U.S. 101 in Smith River at about 4:05 p.m. Monday.

Dominic Russell Haseltine, of Brookings, was making a left turn onto the highway from Xaa-wan’-k’wvt RV Park when his Kia Sportage collided with a Babich Trucking semi tractor-trailer driven by Coos Bay resident Michael Craig Sanford. According to a CHP news release, the front of the tractor-trailer collided with the front of the Kia resulting in the semi overturning. Both drivers were taken to Sutter Coast Hospital with injuries, according to the release.

The collision is still under investigation. Drugs or alcohol do not appear to be a factor, the CHP reports. The Smith River Fire Protection District, CalFIRE and Del Norte Ambulance also responded to the scene. Those with information are asked to call the CHP’s Crescent City office at (707) 218-2000.