FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: October 25, 2024
District: 9 – Bishop
Contact: [email protected]
Phone: (760) 937-2138

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Improved Road Conditions Await Travelers on 32-Mile Stretch of U.S. 395 Near Coso Junction

What you need to know: The Dunmovin Thin Blanket Project, funded by SB 1, applied a thin blanket of asphalt to U.S. 395 from Haiwee Canyon Rd. to Coso Junction to provide a smoother, safer travel experience and extend the life of the roadway.

INYO COUNTY — Drivers will experience a smoother drive on U.S. 395 in southern Inyo County as Caltrans ended construction on the Dunmovin Thin Blanket Project. The primary focus of the $10 million-project was to improve the integrity and extend the life of the highway between Coso Junction and Haiwee Canyon Road.

Contractors patched and repaired more than 32 lane miles of existing pavement before applying 33,025 tons of hot-mix asphalt overlay at a depth of 1.68 inches. The combined overlay and patch work will extend the highway’s service life by up to 15 years. In addition to the road repair the contractors also replaced 670 feet of guardrail with new end treatments and 43.5 miles of thermoplastic striping for enhanced night visibility.

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The Dunmovin Thin Blanket Project is the second of two SB 1 projects to complete construction in Inyo County this year. As winter approaches, drivers should notice that flood waters have all but disappeared on State Route 168, thanks to a series of innovative, low-water crossings Caltrans built in places where water historically flows during storms.

Known as “Arizona Crossings,” seven were constructed during the summer months on SR 168 east of Big Pine to help direct water away from the roadway during weather events. Arizona Crossings are low-water junctions made from concrete into dry stream fords dug under the highway shoulder to convey water across the road and prevent saturation beneath it. Each crossing over Westgard Pass measures between 62 feet and 142 feet in length. Contractors poured approximately 325 cubic yards of concrete to finish the project in eight days.

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FUNDING INFORMATION: The $10.027 million contract for the Dunmovin Thin Blanket Project was awarded to Granite Construction and is fully funded by Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.

The $500,000 Arizona Crossings project was also fully funded SB 1. SB 1 is $5 billion in transportation funding annually split between the state and local agencies. Road projects progress through construction phases more quickly based on the availability of SB 1 funds, including projects that are partially funded by SB 1. For more information about other transportation projects funded by SB 1, visit http://rebuildingca.ca.gov.

To get the latest information on conditions on the State Highway System, visit the Caltrans QuickMap site at quickmap.dot.ca.gov or download the app to your smartphone. You can also call the Road Condition Hotline at 1-800-427-ROAD (7623).

Find out how California is building for a better tomorrow by visiting build.ca.gov and rebuildingca.ca.gov.

For those with sensory disabilities requiring alternate formats (i.e. Braille, large print, sign language interpreter, etc.) and those needing information in a language other than English, please contact Bob Gossman at (760) 881-7145 or TTY 711.