Caltrans Forges Ahead With Freeway Widening Proposal

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced a proposed widening of Interstate 5 through Shasta County as part of an effort to “restore” the freeway through the area, reports Melanie Curry in Streetsblog California.

The agency’s website says adding a lane north of Redding “will provide a much smoother flow of traffic in the area over Hilltop Drive, a busy retail area in Redding.” Curry notes that the information currently available is limited, and the public must attend an in-person meeting on November 15 to get more.

“In the context of a state that claims it wants to invest in encouraging sustainable transportation, and is backing away from highway widenings that encourage car travel, there are many questions to ask,” Curry writes.

Curry questions why the project is needed, where funding would come from, as well as how the decision came about and other questions. “Does it make sense to spend money to speed vehicles through the region instead of improving transportation movement within it, where it has a bigger local impact?”