_{Thumbnail photo: Work has already begun on the 197/199 Safe STAA Access project, particularly on State Route 197 and on U.S. 199 near the Patrick Creek Narrows. | Photo courtesy of Caltrans District 1}

Though Caltrans pushed its plans to close parts of the highway for the 197/199 Safe STAA Access project back to January, Tamera Leighton went back to 2021 and the landslide at Last Chance Grade when thinking about how to manage traffic.

Leighton, executive director of the Del Norte Local Transportation Commission, mentioned the queue of cars that would form near South Beach and proceeded down U.S. 101 when the highway reopened at specific times to traffic.

In January, when Caltrans starts work on U.S. 199 in the narrows and has to close the road for hours at a time, Leighton said cars could queue up at the east end of the four-lane freeway past Gasquet.

“There would be plenty of room to turn around (and) it’s pretty close to the beginning of the construction anyway,” she told transportation commissioners on Tuesday. “Instead of having people pulled up into those tight narrow lanes, do it much sooner, and at that four-lane section there are plenty of places for a queue to form.”

The 197/199 Safe STAA Access project seeks to widen lanes and modify curves on State Route 197 and U.S. 199 so the corridor can accommodate trucks meeting the 1982 federal Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA) standard.

As of Tuesday, crews are working on four locations across State Route 197 and U.S. 199, project manager and Caltrans District 1 representative Izzy Konopa told transportation commissioners.

On State Route 197, that work includes shoulder widening, vegetation removal, paving and striping and drainage work between mile post markers 3 and 4, Konopa said. The contractor expects to be finished by late October.

On U.S. 199, work is occurring at milepost marker 20.5 near the Patrick Creek Narrows, which includes roadway widening and realignment and the construction of a retaining wall. That work is also expected to be finished by late October, Konopa said. 

Ongoing work continues at the Middle Fork Smith River Bridge near milepost marker 24. That work involves drilling, rock excavation, roadway realignment and building a new bridge. About 20% of the work is finished, Konopa said, and the overall project is expected to be done in 2030.

Future work includes roadway widening, constructing a retaining wall and guardrail from milepost marker 22.5 to 25.5 on U.S. 199. That work will be done in 2027 and 2028, Konopa said.

Finally, rock excavation, roadway excavation and guardrail work is expected for U.S. 199 at milepost marker 26.5 starting in 2029.

“The big location everyone’s probably most interested in is Location 6, which is post mile 22.7 to 23, that’s the Narrows,” Konopa said. “This location is going to include rock blasting, excavation, roadway widening and guardrail and they expect to start that work this January. The full four-hour closures are going to be associated with this particular site.”

The need to shut down the highway was initially expected to start this year. However, difficult drilling conditions, limited equipment availability as well as safety and environmental considerations contributed to the delay, Caltrans District 1 posted on Facebook last week.

“Scheduled weekday closures will be needed for worker and traveler safety during operations such as rock blasting and road stabilization,” Caltrans stated.

Starting in January, closures will be scheduled from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. The closed portion of the highway will start near Patrick Creek Lodge and end just past the Middle Fork Smith River bridge, Konopa said.

Caltrans will provide notice 30 days in advance of the closure and will provide closure plans to emergency services, California Highway Patrol and other agencies, Konopa said. Caltrans will also update the project’s website and its social media and issue notifications via the radio as well as changeable message signs in various locations, including Oregon. 

“It’s also been communicated to our emergency management partners, there’s not going to be any exceptions for passage through the full closure once it’s in place,” Konopa said. “So they’re going to have to make alternative plans if they need to get through.”

When the full closures aren’t in effect on Fridays through Mondays, there will be one-way traffic control with 10-minute delays, Konopa said. Further closures may be possible, though that information hasn’t been released yet, he said.

“As far as we know, there will just be the one four-hour closure,” Konopa told commissioners.

The portion of the project that includes the Middle Fork Smith River bridge is also included in the closure of the highway, he said. 

Calling Konopa’s description of how the closures will work “clear as mud,” District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard asked him to return to the transportation commission when he had better information. 

In response to Leighton’s suggestion about having cars queue up at the east end of the four-lane portion of U.S. 199, Konopa said he could bring it up to Caltrans District 1’s resident engineer. 

Speed limits on U.S. 199 and State Route 197 have been reduced to 35 mph within work zones. Caltrans is asking motorists to pay attention to signs and give themselves enough time to stop.

For more information on the project, click here. For a weekly report on local roads, click here.