Willits Bypass Project

Willits Bypass Project

The California Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration propose to construct a new segment of U.S. 101 that would bypass the City of Willits in Mendocino County. The proposed bypass would be a four-lane freeway with full access control and grade separation. The existing US 101 facility within the project study limits is a two-lane conventional highway, which currently serves as the Main Street through the town of Willits. The purpose of the project is to reduce delays, improve safety, and achieve a minimum level of service (LOS) of at least 'C' for interregional traffic on US 101 within the vicinity of Willits through the 20-year design period. One no-build alternative and four build alternatives were considered in the Draft EIS/EIR. Since public circulation of the Draft EIS/EIR, revisions were made to one of the build alternatives, which resulted in the Modified Alternative J1T. The Modified Alternative J1T has been selected as the preferred alternative because it would have the least overall impact to the environment. The proposed new US 101 bypass would diverge from the existing facility approximately 0.8 mi. south of the Haehl Overhead. The alignment would then traverse the valley east of Willits and converge back with the existing facility 2.9 km south of Reynolds Highway. The overall length of the bypass would be approximately 5.8 miles.

Willits

Mendocino