A fix for deadly Hwy. 101 intersection in SLO County is coming — here’s when
A long-anticipated fix for a dangerous northern San Luis Obispo County intersection is moving forward — although it’s still a couple of years away from construction.
The county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a freeway agreement with the state, advancing a $12.2 million Caltrans project to build an underpass at the Wellsona Road-Highway 101 intersection between Paso Robles and San Miguel.
Caltrans announced the project in 2017, following years of fatal and major-injury crashes in the intersection. The underpass is now fully funded, and construction will likely begin in winter 2022, according to Jim Shivers, a spokesman for Caltrans District 5.
The Wellsona-Highway 101 intersection is home to the San Paso Truck Stop and the Vines RV Resort, meaning heavy, slow-moving vehicles frequently cross multiple lanes of traffic to travel on Highway 101.
Supervisors in July 2018 also advanced plans for a truck-repair facility at the intersection, further increasing the number of large vehicles that will drive through the area.
They allowed the project to move forward without requiring the developer to extend the northbound acceleration lane, which Caltrans requested as a temporary fix until the underpass is constructed.
Once complete, the underpass will allow drivers to safely cross Highway 101 without having to deal with multiple lanes of fast-moving traffic. The project will close the median that motorists now use to travel from one side of the highway to the other.
In the future, drivers will use the underpass to access locations on either side of the roadway. They will only be able to turn right onto the northbound and southbound sides of the road.
Supervisors engaged in little discussion prior to voting on the agreement, which defines access, allows state right-of-way acquisition and says the county will accept newly constructed county roads.
District 1 Supervisor John Peschong, who represents constituents living near the intersection, made the only comment on the project.
“Thank you very much, everybody in Public Works and Caltrans, for working on this,” Peschong said. “As you know, this is a safety issue. It’s a safety issue for the people of my district, and I appreciate you moving this forward. I think this is a good solution.”
This story was originally published October 24, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "A fix for deadly Hwy. 101 intersection in SLO County is coming — here’s when."
