Another stretch of Hwy. 46 is widening to 4 lanes. Here’s a look at what’s happening
Construction began Friday on the latest upgrade to Highway 46 that will improve safety through the road’s infamous “Blood Alley.”
On Friday afternoon, Caltrans and government officials attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Highway 46 widening project, which will convert the two-lane divided highway into a four-lane expressway, according to a news release after the event.
“It was a great milestone to share this day with our partners as we widen another five-mile segment of this important east-west corridor,” Caltrans District 5 Director Tim Gubbins said in the release. “This project moves us closer to our goal of creating a four-lane divided highway from San Luis Obispo County to the San Joaquin Valley.”
The segment that will be widened stretches from the Shandon rest stop to roughly a mile east of the Jack Ranch Cafe, just before the notorious Cholame “Y” where Highways 41 and 46 split.
It’s the latest of four completed phases to widen Highway 46 from Paso Robles to beyond the county’s eastern border, with the first phase completed in 2010 and the most recent in 2019.
This new phase is expected to cost $116 million, according to Caltrans.
Joe Erwin, corridor manager for Caltrans District 5, said the project will likely take about two years to complete, depending upon weather and other delays.
During that time, it’s unlikely drivers along the road will have many traffic impacts beyond some construction vehicles also using the roadway, he said.
“Luckily because this type of project is realigning away from the existing highway, there’s not going to be as much traffic disruption due to construction,” Erwin said.
Some drivers may have already noticed the miles of orange fencing that appeared throughout the area.
Erwin said the fencing will prevent protected species from entering the project site.
Work on the next phase of the project, which would reconfigure the “Y” interchange, is expected to begin construction in 2024.
This story was originally published April 16, 2022 at 12:37 PM.
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