Category Archives: Transportation

Supes Add Proposal To Lower Speed Limit Through Gasquet, Hiouchi to Legislative Platform

Thumbnail courtesy of Google Maps

Del Norte County Supervisor Chris Howard hopes a slate of new legislators, and potential support from one of them, will alleviate a problem that’s plagued Hiouchi and Gasquet for years — cars speeding through  at 55-plus mph.

Howard, whose district includes those communities along U.S. 199, asked for his colleagues’ support on Tuesday, pointing out that those safety concerns will persist if change isn’t made at the legislative level.

“Legislation was attempted here two-and-a-half years ago and it failed to give the county a voice into our state highway system and, more importantly, setting up speed [limits],” Howard told his colleagues. “So why not get more specific? Why not focus on a specific area where those public lands are impacted?” 

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DNUSD Transportation’s ‘Monsters’ Include An Aging Fleet, Dearth of Drivers

Photo by Persephone Rose

Though she thanked trustees for taking her concerns seriously, Lisa Sedgwick rejected the idea that implementing a digital system for reporting and tracking mechanical issues in district vans would cost $70,000.

Sedgwick, a teacher at Mary Peacock Elementary School, told Del Norte Unified School District trustees on Thursday that free electronic tools exist that allow people to fill out forms that are dated and time stamped and QR codes can make them available when a van is returned after hours.

“If you’re really stuck on having a paper form, which they never tell you when you make a complaint in person [that there’s] this form to fill out — it was never handed to me when I complained about the rotors two years ago — that could be handed to you when you’re handing over the keys,” she said. “There are so many tools that are easy to use and they’re free. There’s no reason to spend $70,000 when you have these tools available.”

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Transportation Officials Seek Public Input South Beach Climate Change Resiliency Plan

Photo courtesy of the Del Norte Local Transportation Commission

Transportation officials are holding the second of two public meetings today to come up with a plan that ensures U.S. 101 and Anchor Way continue to function in the face of rising sea level and extreme weather associated with climate change.

These meetings are part of a joint effort between the Crescent City Harbor District, Elk Valley Rancheria and the Del Norte Local Transportation Commission to create a South Beach Climate Resilience Plan.

Caltrans District 1, Del Norte County, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife as well as consultants GHD and GreenDOT are also participating in the project, DNLTC Executive Director Tamera Leighton said.

Caltrans is expected to take over the project on June 30, 2025, when the planning phase is completed, Leighton said. Today’s meeting, which will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Elk Valley Rancheria, will give people the opportunity to learn more about why a resiliency project is necessary and will enable them to provide input, she said.

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Caltrans Unveils Fancy New Welcome Signs; More From Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors Meeting

Caltrans representative Julia Peterson unveiled new welcome signs that will be built on U.S. 101 and 199. | Screenshot

Using an oft-quoted phrase involving beer, District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey warned that California’s new monument signs on U.S. 101 and 199 may prompt Oregon to step up its game.

Clean California Coordinator Julia Peterson unveiled the sign that will be constructed and installed on U.S. 199 later this year. Though Caltrans is still figuring out the color scheme, the new sign will feature the Golden State’s iconic shape and state flower. A momma bear and her cub will flank the sign welcoming motorists through Del Norte County’s northeastern gate.

The sign’s back side will encourage motorists to “drive safely,” Peterson said.

“Bears was a theme everyone wanted,” she told supervisors Tuesday, adding that Caltrans had deployed a survey via the Wild Rivers Outpost.

Continue reading Caltrans Unveils Fancy New Welcome Signs; More From Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors Meeting