The third time's not a charm; as a result, the windy single-lane Route 101 through Humboldt County will now get wider.
The California Department of Transportation has been trying to widen this portion of the 101 for almost two decades. The road in this area goes through massive old growth redwood trees that are 300 feet tall and thousands of years old, many of which are immediately adjacent to the highway. To get through this portion with minimal disruption to the trees, the existing road becomes a narrow, tightly curving two-lane road that doesn't have regular shoulders and in which it's hard for vehicles to stay in their lanes. The DOT wants to widen it, alongside mitigation measures to reduce the impact on the roots of the redwood trees. That way, the DOT says, traffic will be safer, and regular-sized trucks, which are currently prohibited on this part of the 101, will now be allowed.
Some residents and environmental groups in the area oppose the change, and file a writ that claims that the environmental impact report was improperly prepared. They lose in the trial court, but win on appeal. The DOT revises the report and submits it again. Groups file another writ, and win again. The DOT then tries a third time, and groups file the present (third) writ. But this one loses, both in the trial court and on appeal.
So, at this point, nothing's stopping that route from getting wider.
For better or worse.
