Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.

Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading.

Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.

Please purchase a subscription to continue reading.

Your current subscription does not provide access to this content.

Sorry, no promotional deals were found matching that code.

Promotional Rates were found for your code.

Mostly clear. Low 53F. Winds light and variable..

Mostly clear. Low 53F. Winds light and variable.

Caltrans is preparing for a $1.26 million project that will construct a turn pocket and improve the intersection of Highway 202 and Cummings Valley Road.

Caltrans is preparing for a $1.26 million project that will construct a turn pocket and improve the intersection of Highway 202 and Cummings Valley Road.

A $1.26 million project to improve a portion of Highway 202 between Old Towne and Cummings Valley is set to begin soon, according to reports from Caltrans District 9.

The project will construct a turn pocket and improve the intersection of the highway and Cummings Valley Road.

And, according to the District 9 Traffic Advisory for the week of Sept. 26 through 30, work in two nearby areas may impact traffic:

• Keene Road Guardrail Repair – On the eastbound lanes of Highway 58 between Keene Road and Broome Road west of the city of Tehachapi, crews planned to repair guardrail Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Rosamond-Mojave Rehabilitation Project – On Highway 14 between Rosamond and Mojave, crews have removed K-rail from the southbound lanes. Striping work is scheduled Monday through Friday overnight from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m.. There will be intermittent daytime closures for the southbound ramps at Silver Queen Road, Dawn Road and Backus Road Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. to allow crews to stripe them. The speed limit through the construction zone remains 55 miles per hour.

Other nearby projects reported to be underway include:

• Kern Digouts (full-depth or deep patching) on various locations, highways 58 and 14. Project cost is about $1 million.

• District Census Station Replacements between Cache Creek and Tehachapi Valley. Two $320,000 projects will improve traffic tallies.

Caltrans projects in various stages of planning, environmental review or design include:

• $1.235 million to add changeable message signs at truck scales in Keene and Cache Creek.

• $39.6 million Cache Creek Pavement project. This will restore pavement and drainage. The project is in the early planning stage. It’s expected to begin in October 2028 and be completed by December 2032.

• The design of the $16.6 million relocation of the Tehachapi Maintenance Station is in progress. A construction schedule has not been published. The station will be located in the city of Tehachapi, east of Tractor Supply.

• The $165 million Keene Pavement project — which will remove curves in the highway between Tehachapi and Keene and provide other improvements is still in the planning phase.

Another project being considered for the Tehachapi area is the Golden Hills Complete Streets project, according to Public Information Officer Michael Lingberg.

It’s very early in the process for this potential project, he said, noting that it may bring new sidewalks, bike lanes and Americans with Disabilities Act features to Highway 202 from just west of Jeffery Road.

“Currently in the project initiation phase, Caltrans staff are discussing the project's possible scope, cost and schedule,” Lingberg said. He noted that the state agency will work with the city of Tehachapi and public stakeholders as the project progresses.

“Since the project is so early in the process, Caltrans doesn’t have many concrete details about what will be included in the design,” he said. “Funds have only been released for the project initiation phase; funding for later phases will be allocated by the California Transportation Commission at later dates.”

A Complete Streets Project is inclusive, Caltrans notes in a fact sheet for the relatively new concept.

The projects are designed to meet the needs of all users of the state highway system — not just drivers — while improving the livability of communities. The all-inclusive projects are designed to provide safe mobility for pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation and truckers as part of the agency’s effort to make the state’s highway system accessible for all people.

This time of year is always busy for agencies trying to wrap up road projects before bad weather sets in.

Kern County has installed new stop signs in the Golden Hills area — with warning signs alerting motorists to the new stops on Woodford-Tehachapi Road.

The county is close to finishing weeks of work paving Highline and Banducci roads and the city of Tehachapi’s street grind and overlay project is well underway with work to include Anita Drive and portions of Elm Street, Maple Street and C Street where there is cracking and failing asphalt.

The city’s planned construction of Pinon Street between Brandon Lane and Dennison Road is expected to begin later this year.

Claudia Elliott is a freelance journalist and former editor of the Tehachapi News. She lives in Tehachapi and can be reached by email: claudia@claudiaelliott.net.

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.