After response from Merced-area drivers, Caltrans adjusts Highway 99 construction plans

Merced-area motorists who are leery of the challenges presented on Highway 99 by the ongoing $61.8 million rehabilitation and guardrail installation project will see some relief as construction moves forward, California Department of Transportation officials say.

Skip Allen, public information officer for Caltrans District 10, which includes Merced, this week told the Sun-Star that Caltrans officials have decided to alternate work on the northbound and southbound sides of the freeway. There is no set timeline for when this alternating change will begin.

Allen said project changes were decided on by Caltrans after receiving feedback from the community. The comments came from members of the public, local officials and workers out on the highway, Allen said.

“We’re making adjustments to the schedule to eliminate the inconvenience of ramp closures for folks,” Allen said. “We were going to do all of northbound all at one time then switch to southbound. Now we’re going to do some northbound work, then flip-flop and do some work on the southbound side.”

“So basically, we won’t close as many ramps at one time,” Allen said.

Since the construction project launched earlier this year, Merced County drivers have complained about the construction on that stretch of highway, which runs from the south end of Merced all the way up to the area around Highway 140.

Many complained that sections of highway that were too narrow — particularly as many drivers frequently speed on Highway 99. Many of those complaints were left on the Sun-Star’s Facebook page back in March. Some said the highway was akin to an obstacle course.

“I don’t feel comfortable at all driving on the freeway unless it’s outside of the Merced Atwater area. Might want to leave early and take alternate routes,” wrote commenter Torique Hardaway.

Traffic collisions on the rise

More crashes have happened on the section of Highway 99 since the construction began.

Since March, local officers from the California Highway Patrol said they have seen car accidents jump. “I can tell you right now there are three factors we’re looking at: speeding, driving too close and distracted driving,” said CHP Public Information Officer Eric Zuniga. “Those are the primary collision factors.”

According to CHP, crashes on Highway 99 in the area of construction numbered only about 15 in January of this year and 16 in February.

When construction started in March, the number of collisions skyrocketed to 43. That number decreased slightly to 26 in April, and numbers aren’t yet available for the month of May. Total numbers for highway collisions on that section of highway in 2021 or 2020 weren’t immediately available.

Most recently, on May 17, a driver was killed in a collision on Highway 99 near Atwater. Authorities say the driver took a closed on-ramp on Applegate Road onto Highway 99 in the construction zone before driving off the pavement onto a dirt roadway. The car appeared to have struck a K-rail before turning over onto the passenger side. The man died at the scene, according to the CHP.

Because of the construction, traffic on the highway’s left lane on the northbound side has been diverted to cross the center median onto what is typically the southbound lane, from Childs Avenue to Bear Creek — a change expected to last until November. Northbound drivers must drive between concrete barriers for five miles and can’t exit the freeway.

Accidents in the left northbound lane could take a while to clean up, causing massive slowdowns behind the collision, officers said.

“What makes it difficult for us is to reach a vehicle and move it in adequate time,” Zuniga said. “If there’s a crash in the No. 1 lane, the only way to tow it is to back up the tow truck. We would have to back it up for 6 miles straight and it’ll take a while for a tow truck to get there.”

While not everyone who lives in the Merced area has seen such collisions themselves, the increased chances of an accident in the construction zones give many pause about taking the highway unless absolutely necessary, one local official said.

“I learned if I go down 16th Street to Ashby, I can miss the slowdown,” said Lloyd Pareira, chair of the Merced County Board of Supervisors. “Other people are doing the same thing. It’s a necessary upgrade, but it’s dangerous.”

Despite the changes Caltrans is making, those drivers who are hoping for a return to normal will be disappointed, at least in the short run.

The project isn’t set for completion until Aug. 3, 2023. “The project so far is approximately 20% complete,” Allen said.

This story was originally published May 20, 2022 at 5:00 AM.