Traffic on US 101 in South County is increasingly impacting the highway as well as adjoining interchanges. The lack of frontage roads means that agricultural trucks must use the highway to make local trips, adding to traffic congestion and forcing U-turns, left turns and other tricky maneuvers on US 101 which increases safety risks, collisions, injuries and fatalities along the highway.

This project will construct frontage roads along US 101 south of Salinas and make related interchange improvements. The completion of the Spence Road  Auxiliary Lane in 2023 is an initial safety improvement in the overall “US 101 South of Salinas” project along 5.5 miles of US 101 from Airport Boulevard to Main Street in Chualar enhancing safety for residents, travelers, and agricultural employees and improving traffic flow along US Highway 101.

Caltrans and TAMC have initiated the environmental phase, including a robust multi-lingual public engagement effort, which is fully funded in the State Transportation Improvement Program: $10 million.  Final design is also fully funded in fiscal year 2026/27 with $8.5 million of Measure X and $8.5 million of State Transportation Improvement Program funds.

Potential Funding Sources: Measure X, State Transportation Improvement Program, Senate Bill 1 Trade Corridors Enhancement Program

Background Information

The Transportation Agency and Caltrans are working with the community to develop a set of long-term projects to address safety issues and reduce crashes along US 101 South of Salinas, a critical agricultural route for agricultural goods that serves our nation and international businesse around the world.

The proposed projects include the reconstruction of the existing interchange at Abbott Street, upgrades to the Chualar interchange, and a network of new frontage roads that will eliminate the need to make left turns across the highway at uncontrolled intersections and avoid vehicle crossings of the railroad tracks. The extension of the US 101 northbound acceleration lane at Spence Road is part of this plan.

These improvements will provide safe access to the agriculture fields and associated businesses, resulting in improved safety for residents, travelers, and agricultural employees while improving traffic flow along 5.5 miles of US 101 from Airport Boulevard in Salinas to the Main Street Overcrossing in Chualar.

US Highway 101 is the primary artery along the Central Coast and is vital to statewide commerce. This busy corridor provides access from California’s Central Coast agricultural operations to markets around the country and provides a link from Southern California to the tourist destinations along the Monterey Peninsula. The project will improve traffic flow which will also enhance existing transit service provided by Monterey-Salinas Transit to the southern Monterey communities.

The US 101 South of Salinas project is a Measure X funded project with $30 million allocated to it. The project is identified in the countywide “Transportation Safety & Investment Plan” approved by Monterey County voters in 2016.

Public input is a vital for the successful implementation of safety improvements along this cooridor. The first major outreach effort was a Virtual Town Hall meeting hosted by the Transportation Agency on September 13, 2021. A link to the presentation is here. Subsequent meetings have followed, including those conducted earlier  this year, with more forthcoming in the fall of 2024. Members of the public can provide their input by attending on one of the forthcoming meetings , submitting their comments by phone by calling the project phone line at 855-925-2801, code: 7263.  Public input can also be provided by taking the  Safety Improvements on SR 68 & US 101 South of Salinas Survey.  Participants can choose which project survey to take by chosing the appropriate tab.  

The US 101 South of Salinas Safety Improvement Project is a Measure X funded project. A related effort is the Calrans'  U.S. 101 Business Plan that will provide the data, strategy, and community support needed to match corridor priorities with potential funding mechanisms for implementing improvements in the U.S. 101 corridor. Caltrans U.S. 101 Business Plan.