In a major milestone, Caltrans has started construction on a safety and passing lanes project on State Highway 70 in southern Butte County.

Teichert Construction of Sacramento and MCM Construction of North Highlands are the contractors on the project. Crews began placing temporary concrete barriers along a 4-mi. stretch of roadway from East Gridley Road to the Honcut Creek bridge.

Caltrans and the Butte County Association of Governments (BCAG) are partnering on this $50 million project to create continuous passing lanes with a two-way left-turn lane and build a new bridge over Honcut Creek.

Other improvements include widening the shoulders to 8 ft., upgrading drainage systems and establishing an area for vehicles veering off the roadway to return to the main highway.

The work represents the last of three Butte County projects to improve safety on the Highway 70 corridor between Oroville and the Butte-Yuba County line.

A second safety and passing project between Palermo Road and Cox Lane is currently under construction and expects to be completed this fall. An earlier safety improvement project from Ophir Road to Palermo opened to traffic in fall 2019.

"It took a lot of hard work by our partners and Caltrans to get to this stage," said Caltrans District 3 Director Amarjeet S. Benipal. "We're excited to begin construction on this segment. After this important safety project is completed, motorists will have continuous passing opportunities from Oroville to the Butte-Yuba County line."

Approximately 17,000 vehicles and 900 trucks per day use this segment of Highway 70 on average.

"Butte County and Caltrans have spent more than three decades working to provide safe, reliable four-lane access on the Highway 70 corridor," said Butte County Supervisor Bill Connelly. "It's vital that we modernize this highway for the safety of motorists and residents as well as the regional economy."

Over the next two years, motorists may expect intermittent traffic-interfering and occasional overnight roadwork. The contractor will maintain driveway access to the highway for businesses and residents.

Caltrans District 3 maintains more than 4,385 lanes miles of state highway in 11 Sacramento Valley and Northern Sierra counties. The department issues updates about road conditions on Twitter and on Facebook.

For real-time traffic information, visit http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ or download the free Caltrans QuickMap app from the App Store or Google Play.

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