California changes its mind on Highway 41 widening, ‘saving lives,’ Fresno advocates say
State transportation officials changed course this week and agreed to offer a letter of support to widening Highway 41 south of Fresno, area leaders said Friday.
Assemblymember Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, led a group sounding the alarm earlier this week, saying it appeared the long-planned widening of 41 from Elkhorn to Excelsior avenues was in jeopardy of not being funded.
The roughly $65 million widening is a way to save lives on a deadly six-mile stretch southeast of Caruthers, according to Patterson.
The California State Transportation Authority had declined to submit a letter of support, which is not necessary to make the project go but was seen as a sign that the key connector between Fresno and the Hanford-Lemoore area would be left at two lanes.
But the state officials changed their minds this week, according to Patterson.
“I think the signals are all going green and I’m very optimistic,” he said. “And, if we all keep our heads down doing the things we’ve committed to one another we’re going to do, we’ll get to the finish line.”
Patterson said vocal advocates for the central San Joaquin Valley made a difference in convincing state officials for support.
The project still needs to clear a hurdle by getting added to the state’s Transportation Improvement Plan for 2022. Patterson said he is working on meeting with transportation officials in the coming weeks with advocates for Highway 41.
Highway 41 widening
The state has taken a stance against adding any new highway lanes that would increase capacity, according to officials. State leaders have been looking for ways to encourage people to use their cars less to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, which worsen climate change.
Advocates for the widening stressed the project needed to be completed for safety reasons, and was not focused on increasing capacity.
Caltrans has never been against the project, department spokesman Matt Rocco said Saturday. “The state has invested in this project, and Caltrans has spent the last two years working on the design and environmental clearance.”
The letter from the California State Transportation Agency will provide support for the $20 million in federal funding that Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, is pursuing to complete the widening.
Between that federal amount and other sources, the gap left to fill in funding would be about $16 million, according to Mike Leonardo, Fresno County Transportation Authority executive director.
“Those (sources of money) by themselves will not be enough but it certainly gets us within striking distance,” he said.
Officials with the California State Transportation Agency said earlier this week they would proceed with a number of safety projects on the stretch of highway in question, including a median barrier to prevent cars from crossing the center line. That effort is estimated to take 60 days after it begins in the first week of June.
‘Saving lives’
The Highway 41 two-lane gap had a particularly deadly few months at the end of 2020, including five fatal crashes.
People in southern Fresno County have been advocating for the widening headed up by Lorna Roush, who leads the Widen Highway 41 Movement.
She held back tears on Friday when talking about the state’s reversal. “We’re going to be saving lives,” she said. “It’s just been a long battle. It’s just so heartening to know that people are understanding.”
The Fresno Council of Governments board will vote May 27 on whether to allow Measure C funds to go toward finishing Highway 41. If that board approves, it will go to the Fresno County Transportation Authority Board for final approval on June 9.
This story was originally published May 21, 2021 at 4:58 PM.
