Hwy. 101 Traffic Safety
Hwy. 101 Traffic Safety
US Hwy. 101 Traffic Safety Improvements
Over the past thre years, representatives of Caltrans District 5 and the Transporation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) have shared project videos, maps and other information to be used in formulating the major highway improvement project for the area south of Salinas (to the Chualar Main Street interchange).
Caltrans has collected and shared collision data, including accidents with injuries and fatalities for this stretch of US 101 between Gould Road and Esperanza Road, that grossly exceeds statewide averages, showing the safety hazards posed by the crossroad intersections, as well as excessive speeding.
In 2018, CHP issued nearly 1,700 tickets for speeding on US 101 between Spence Road and Gonzales. Speeding is the leading cause of accidents along this corridor, followed by unsafe turns, unsafe lane changes, DUI (alcohol and drugs), failure to yield right-of-way, and other types of infractions.
TAMC has developed a dedicated website for the US Highway 101 South of Salinas project between the Main Street Overcrossing in Chualar and the Airport Boulevard Overcrossing in Salinas. This website provides information about the process for developing concept alternatives for the project. It also provides opportunities for public input at various steps in the process.
TAMC hosted the Virtual Town Hall meeting on Monday September 13, 2021. The presentation can be heard here and is the culmination of over a year of study and outreach the included our project partners – Caltrans and the South of Salinas US 101 Safety Alliance.
An interactive project map is available to review the proposed investment scenarios expected to address safety issues along US 101 South of Salinas. It also provides an oportunity for public input that may include comments and concerns for the concepts being proposed. The left menu bar of the interactive map includes a link to the US 101 South of Salinas Improvement Alternatives Survey.
The US 101 South of Salinas Safety Improvement Project is a Measure X funded project. A related effort is the Calrans’ U.S. 101 Business Plan that will provide the data, strategy, and community support needed to match corridor priorities with potential funding mechanisms for implementing improvements in the U.S. 101 corridor. Caltrans U.S. 101 Business Plan.
In late May 2022, TAMC presented project concepts to the TAMC Board that included reconstruction of the interchanges at Abbott Street and Chualar. There are no other interchanges planned for this project; there is a near-term CalTrans project that will inprove the accelartion and decelaration lanes at one of the road crossings to impove some access and safety concerns. Full project construciton is a long-term project.
For more information, please contact the S.O.S. US 101 Traffic Safety Alliance at sos101trafficsafetyalliance@gmail.com or on their Facebook page “South of Salinas Hwy 101 Traffic Safety Alliance”
Monterey County Farm Bureau
is a proud supporter of the
US 101 Traffic Safety Alliance.
UPDATED SIGNAGE ON HWY. 101 SOUTH OF SALINAS
DISALLOWS TRUCK U-TURNS AND LIMITS LEFT TURNS
AT CROSSROAD INTERSECTIONS
Below are diversion routes for trucks, signage posted at each intersection, and classes of trucks the new restrictions apply to. CHP will be providing enforcement after a ‘grace period’ until drivers become more accustomed to the new signage.
