Hwy. 41 will be closed 2 days this week for construction at Cholame ‘Y’ in SLO County
Highway 41 will be fully closed near the so-called Cholame “Y” this week as construction begins on a project to widen Highway 46 from two lanes to four lanes, Caltrans said.
The long-awaited roadwork comes 68 years after actor James Dean died in a head-on crash at the intersection.
The highway will be closed Wednesday and Thursday from 6 a.m to 6 p.m. in both directions from Highway 33 to the Cholame Y interchange where Highways 41 and 46 meet in northern San Luis Obispo County, Caltrans said in a news release.
During the closure, the contractor will “install a temporary dirt conveyor bridge” over Highway 41 north of the interchange, the agency said.
Folks driving north on Highway 46 can take a detour from northbound Highway 33 to Highway 41 south of Kettleman City, according to Caltrans.
Alternatively, drivers traveling south on Highway 46 can cut across Highway 33 to Highway 46 East near Highway 41, the agency said.
“Please allow extra time for your commute while using these detours,” the release said.
The California Highway Patrol will direct traffic on either side of the closure, the agency said.
What is the Highway 41 construction project?
Highway 41 will get two major upgrades during the next three years.
The first half of the project will widen 3.5 miles of Highway 46 East on the way to Kern County, the agency said.
The second half adds a flyover interchange to the Cholame Y crossing, the site where Dean died on Sept. 30, 1955.
His Porsche Spyder collided with a Ford being driven by Donald Turnupseed, a Cal Poly student who was turning from Highway 46 onto Highway 41.
According to Caltrans, the elevated interchange will carry drivers over Highway 46 and merge them onto Highway 41, headed toward Fresno.
Atkins Construction is responsible for the $148 million project, Caltrans said.
This story was originally published May 8, 2023 at 11:33 AM.
