Lane where toll worker was killed by drunk driver will remain closed

Plus, improvements are coming at the intersection where James Dean died in 1955 along Highway 46

Q I have been driving across the Bay Bridge for a very long time now and wonder when they are going to fix lane 14. It has been closed for years now. Today I almost got sideswiped by someone going too fast. When that driver got to the closed lane (14), they cut me off and almost caused an accident.

When you are approaching the toll plaza, the lanes curve and you don't notice that lane being closed until you are almost on top of it. Can you shed some light on this?

— Dave A There are no plans to open lane 14, which doesn't have any toll collection equipment since a horrific collision occurred in the lane on Dec. 2, 2017. Toll taker Si Si Han was killed when a box truck driven by a drunk driver, who had also been smoking pot, slammed into a line of cars and then demolished her toll booth. It killed her instantly.

The booth is fed directly from one single roadway lane and a “LANE CLOSED AHEAD” sign will now be displayed on the changeable message sign upstream to alert drivers.

Q

We've traveled Highway 46 between Paso Robles and Interstate 5 several times a year since 1996 and have deeply appreciated the significant improvements made over the years.

Caltrans is now working on a section east of the James Dean intersection (at Highway 41) through a relatively short pass. We can't figure out how they're going to route the westbound lanes. There doesn't seem to be enough space for two more lanes.

Will they be building a bridge, digging a tunnel, or doing something entirely different?

— Brian Simmons, Marina A Part of Highway 46 will be widened to four lanes and a new interchange will be constructed at Highway 41 to increase safety.

The project will widen nearly four miles of Highway 46 from west of Davis Road to west of Antelope Road, creating a four-lane divided expressway. A new, grade-separated interchange will be built at the intersection of Highways 46 and 41 to provide a safer option than the current at-grade intersection.

The $148 million project received more than $97 million in funding from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.

This project follows the widening of five miles of Highway 46 east from the Shandon Rest Area to east of the Jack Ranch Cafe. Four additional phases were completed over the past decade from Paso Robles leading to the intersection of Highways 46 and 41. A final segment will span a 3.5-mile stretch of Highway 46 east along the Antelope Grade in San Luis Obispo County to near the Kern County line.

Upon completion, Highway 46 east will be a four-lane divided expressway from Highway 101 in Paso Robles to I-5 near Lost Hills.