Highway 101: Interchange or Overpass?

THE FACTS

HIGHWAY 101 INTERCHANGE

Since 2001, the Trinidad Rancheria has been working to improve vehicular access to and travel between the Rancheria’s properties on the east and west sides of Highway 101 between Westhaven and Trinidad, with special interest in improving access to the Rancheria’s existing casino and proposed hotel. The following related studies have been completed by Rancheria consultants:

Trinidad Rancheria Access Improvement Feasibility Study, Winzler & Kelly, May 2002
Trinidad Rancheria Tribal Transportation Plan 2006‐2026, Winzler & Kelly, March 2006
Trinidad Rancheria Highway 101 Interchange Community Design Fair, Local Government
Commission, June 2009
Trinidad Rancheria Comprehensive Community‐Based Plan, Trinidad Rancheria, Dec. 2011
Trinidad Area Freeway Master Plan Study, Omni‐Means, Ltd., February 2014
Trinidad Rancheria Tribal Transportation Safety Plan, Trinidad Rancheria, June 2014

Since 2012, a Project Development Team (including staff representatives as attendees from Caltrans, Trinidad Rancheria, City of Trinidad, Humboldt County, and Humboldt Council of Governments) has been focused on improving access to Rancheria properties. According to the 2017 CalTrans PSR (see below), “the PDT team has been instrumental in developing the purpose and need statement for the project, as well as identifying all of the alternatives studied to date, and guiding discussions relating to design exceptions.” The PDT has worked with working CalTrans to develop a suite of alternatives which might achieve the following objectives:

1. Provide safe and sustainable access to and from US 101, for all modes of transportation, to the Trinidad Rancheria and the surrounding communities located along Scenic Drive, Westhaven Drive, and in the City of Trinidad.
2. Relieve projected traffic congestion associated with planned future development.
3. Reconnect tribal lands.

In December of 2017, CalTrans issued a Project Study Report (PSR) - Project Development Support titled “101/Trinidad Access Improvements.” The complete report may currently (as of April 2020) be accessed from the Rancheria’s website at https://trinidad-rancheria.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Final-PSR-PDS-Trinidad-Access-Project1.pdf. (Note that the document is too large to be downloaded directly from this HARP website.) The project calls for an initial environmental evaluation of a number of alternatives that are identified below, according to the following proposed schedule:

HARP CONCERNS

WHAT YOU CAN DO