3-day Highway 41 closure canceled by Caltrans. Here’s what to know
Days before Caltrans was scheduled to close a 20-mile stretch of Highway 41 in eastern San Luis Obispo County, that closure has been canceled.
The California Department of Transportation called off the roadwork due to the Gifford Fire burning along Highway 166 in parts of SLO and Santa Barbara counties, the state road agency said in a news release.
Caltrans planned to close part of Highway 41 for three days starting Tuesday, Aug. 5, to complete work on part of a $147 million construction project on the Cholame “Y” interchange, an area of Highway 46 that has been dubbed “Blood Alley.”
A total of 11 people died in crashes at or near the Y-shaped intersection north of Paso Robles from 2014 through 2024, resulting in a traffic fatality rate higher than the statewide average, according to previous Tribune reporting.
The construction project will widen the freeway from a two-lane highway into a four-lane expressway at the crossroads, according to the California Department of Transportation.
Here’s what to know:
When and where was Highway 41 closure scheduled to take place?
Highway 41 was scheduled to be shut down between Highway 46 East and Reef Station near Highway 33, according to Caltrans.
The planned closure was set to last from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily from Tuesday, Aug. 5, through Thursday, Aug. 7, Caltrans said.
However, Caltrans announced Sunday evening that the three-day shut-down was cancelled due to the Gifford Fire.
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Why did Gifford Fire cause roadwork to be cancelled?
The Gifford Fire sparked Friday afternoon and has continued to spread in parts of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.
The fire is burning west of the Madre Fire, which charred 80,000 acres in July, into the Los Padres National Forest along the south end of Highway 166, the Tribune previously reported.
Highway 166 has remained closed since Friday afternoon due to the fire. The roadway is shut down between Highway 101 and Perkins Road in New Cuyama, according to a news release from the U.S. Forest Service.
As of Monday morning, the Gifford Fire had scorched 65,062 acres and was 3% contained, the federal agency said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, the Forest Service said.
When will roadwork be rescheduled?
As of Monday, Caltrans had yet to announce when construction will be rescheduled.
The agency said it will update the public when new dates have been finalized.
This story was originally published August 4, 2025 at 10:06 AM with the headline "3-day Highway 41 closure canceled by Caltrans. Here’s what to know."
