Dr. Ray Wolfe of the California Department of Transportation (Cal Trans) appeared at the Crest Forest Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) meeting on Thursday January 26, 2012, and presented plans for road improvements on the back side of the mountain.
State Route 138 running from Crestline to the north side of the San Bernardino mountains was built in the 1920s as a dirt road for vehicles of that time. Although the road is paved today, the narrow lanes and tight curves are inadequate for larger vehicles, such as trucks and trailers measuring more than 25 feet from kingpin to rear axle. Cal Trans has posted signs advising drivers that larger vehicles are not recommended, but at this time the state agency has no legal authority to ban them. Nevertheless, larger vehicles cannot negotiate some of the curves without crossing into the opposing traffic lane.
Cal Trans has identified ten curves between Crestline and Lake Silverwood which require remediation. The entire project is projected to cost between $24 and $37 million and take 8 years to complete. The proposed changes are designed to accommodate trucks of up to 40 feet in length.
Narrow lanes need to be widened on the curves, and in many cases the shoulders must also be widened. Due to the steep slopes, some curves will require retaining walls to support the new portions of the roadway.
Cal Trans has estimated the Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) on the north side of the route at 13 percent of all traffic on the north side of the mountains (from Highway 15 to Crestline), and 6 percent of all traffic on the south side (from Highway 18 to Crestline). The average of overall daily traffic on the north side is 1,700 vehicles, and on the south side it is 5,800 vehicles. Most of the problematic curves affect traffic from the north side of the mountains.
These numbers are not high enough to make Route 138 a priority for the state government, so no funding is expected at the state level. Wolfe recommended that the community persuade elected officials at the local and federal levels to support funding for the project.
The first twelve months of the project would involve securing funding and studying the problem. Project approval, which includes the Initial Study Environmental Assessment (ISEA), will take 36 months. Environmental issues are especially problematic in the mountains, due to the forest environment and the wide variety of wildlife. For example, the spotted owl is known to nest in the area. Plans, Specifications and Estimates (PS&E) will take an additional 36 months. Finally, construction will take 24 months.
The proposed improvements would encourage more tourism, an important part of the mountain economy, especially by people coming from the north side of the mountains.
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