Caltrans has begun a project to increase safety on Hwy 1 from San Luis Obispo north past San Simeon will get underway Monday, May 2.
Caltrans plans to install so-called “rumble strips” along the 42-mile section of Hwy 1 starting at Highland Drive in SLO and ending a mile north of Hearst Castle in San Simeon, the agency announced.
The contractor, Souza Const., of SLO, will work overnight from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday, May 2 through Friday, May 6. The contract is for some $1.6 million.
The job will take the weekend off and start up again at 8 p.m. Sunday, May 8 and overnight through Friday morning May 13. If it isn’t completed by then (due to weather), the work will continue with an expected completion in early summer.
The rumble strip is to be installed along the white line on both sides of the highway and only in areas with wide, paved shoulders. Rumble strips produce a jarring vibration through a car’s suspension designed to alert drivers when they have begun to drift off the roadway to the right.
However, if one is on a bicycle, riding over a series of bumps could be most unpleasant. But unlike about 3-years ago, when Caltrans resurfaced Hwy 1 with a rough, rocky slurry and cyclists protested all the way to Sacramento, the agency spoke with the 2-wheeled highway users first.
“We coordinated with many bicyclists since we did a similar project in Santa Cruz last year,” Caltrans spokesman Colin Jones explained, “so they are fine with it. Rumble strips are being installed along the white stripe on the right side of the shoulder about 6-inches wide. We don’t install them if the shoulder area is less than 5 feet.”
Actually, the rumble strips could save people riding bicycles, as they are intended to wake up drivers that might be starting to nod off going down the highway. “They are a major safety improvement,” Jones said, “alerting motorists if they drift into the shoulder area where bikes/pedestrians would be traveling.”
Shoulder work will be followed by lane and ramp closures on Hwy 1 overnight (from 8 p.m. until 6 am.). Traffic controls, including flagmen and 1-way reversing traffic, will be necessary on the 2-lane portions of Hwy 1 from north of Cayucos to Hearst Castle. Expect 15-minute delays and watch for electronic message signs with information on road conditions.