Highway 197/199 Safe STAA Access
Opinion or False Statement? The facts about safety on US Highway 199. Please read the recent Opinion Editorial: Coastal Voices T. Leighton
The most recent 10 Year Collision Analysis for SR 197 and U.S. Route 199 can be found here: 10 Year Collision Analysis
This project is top priority for the DNLTC. Completed, it will remove restrictions on commercial truck traffic, improve public safety and encourage economic development. However, a recent injunction has placed the project on hold and funding in jeopardy.
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is working on operational and safety improvements to Routes 197 and 199 in Del Norte County to allow industry standard-sized trucks access to the North Coast from Interstate 5 to the east. These projects will remove existing restrictions to Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA) trucks, now considered the industry standard. The 197/199 corridor is very important for the movement of goods as Del Norte County has neither a railway nor a deep-water shipping port. The Del Norte County Local Transportation Commission, the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors, and the business community firmly believe that economic viability is linked to STAA truck access on the corridor. Lack of effective STAA access excludes Del Norte County from important truck access and has negative economic impacts.
The improvements underway and planned are not just access improvements, but critical safety improvements as well. Many sections of the route have fatal collision rates higher than the State average. The Patrick Creek project area has a fatal collision rate of 5.4 times higher than the State average. Planned projects are expected to reduce the frequency of collisions involving all types of vehicles within the segment.
These projects propose adjustments to Route 197 near Ruby Van Deventer County Park (Ruby 1 and Ruby 2) and on Route 199 near the Narrows, at Washington Curve, and in the Patrick Creek area.
A map of the project locations can be found here: Project location_map.
Truck off tracking near "the narrows" on SR 199.
SR 199 curves.
Narrow bridge over the Smith River.
Refer to the links below for more information.
Caltrans District 1 – 197/199 Safe STAA Access
197/199 Safe STAA Access Project News
Project Updates
This project is the top priority for the DNLTC. Completed, it will remove restrictions on commercial truck traffic, improve public saftey and encourage economic development. However, a recent injunction has placed the project on hold and funding in jeopardy. Refer to the following links for more information:
Hwy 199 RTPA Technical Update August 2014 (PDF)
Caltrans Progress Report July 2014 (PDF)
Project Update Flyer July 2014 (PDF)
Del Norte Triplicate Coastal Voices Editorial July 1, 2014 (PDF)