Caltrans will Improve Highway Safety for Cyclists and Motorists in Bishop

What you need to know: U.S. 6 just outside of Bishop will receive bicycle lanes and additional safety features.

INYO COUNTY — Caltrans is giving U.S. 6 north of Bishop a safety makeover that’ll benefit drivers as well as cyclists

Robert J. Frank Construction was awarded the $890,000 construction contract for the U.S. 6-Dixon Lane Bike Safety Project. The project will reconfigure the layout of the highway with new bike lanes on both sides of U.S. 6. When completed, the roadway will consist of one 12-foot lane in each direction, with 4-foot bike lanes and 2-foot buffers from just after Wye Road to Dixon Lane. The center two-way left-turn lane between Wye and the veterinary hospital will remain a fixture of the road.

In addition to the new striping, the project will install wire fencing and preserve the pavement on the highway.

Quiet highway with distant mountains

Image: The southbound shoulder of U.S.6 as seen before construction begins on the U.S. 6 -Dixon Lane Bike Safety Project.

TRAFFIC IMPACT: Construction will start Monday, October 6, with overnight shoulder closures from Wye Road to Dixon Lane on U.S. 6 for fencing installation. That work will happen Monday through Friday from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am, and drivers should not experience any significant delays. Once the highway restriping begins, the overnight work will require lane closures and one-way traffic control with a pilot car. Drivers may experience 20-minute delays.

During the week of October 13, there will be one day of daytime pavement work. This work will require lane closures with one-way traffic control, and drivers may experience 20-minute delays. Caltrans will reveal more information about this daytime work on social media once the schedule is set.

Work schedules are subject to change due to traffic incidents, weather, availability of equipment or materials, or any construction-related issues.

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).