MENDOCINO CO., 3/13/26 – Motorists traveling through Hopland should expect overnight traffic delays beginning Sunday as work begins on a Caltrans project aimed at improving accessibility along U.S. Highway 101.
As part of the project, PG&E crews will relocate and update gas lines in the area. Drivers may encounter delays of up to 10 minutes between La Franchi Road and the Hewlitt and Sturtevant Road area Sundays through Thursdays between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., according to Caltrans. That phase of the project is expected to last through June, though the schedule is subject to change.
The work is part of the Hopland Americans with Disabilities Act improvement project, which will upgrade curb ramps, sidewalks and driveways in downtown Hopland while also rehabilitating pavement and updating signage. According to Caltrans, the ADA project will cost $11.9 million and should be completed in December 2027.
Despite the construction and potential traffic delays, Hopland businesses will remain open during the entire project, which will occur in phases. Community members and travelers are encouraged to continue supporting local restaurants, shops and tasting rooms during the work.
For more information visit https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-1/d1-projects/d1-hopland-ada or contact HoplandADA@dot.ca.gov.
How about an alternative route too?
https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/highway-101-lifeline-tiny-california-town-19929527.php
12 MILLION dolllars?
Maybe just bypass the entire 2 lane section between the Russian River and Ukiah…
That would cost even more…
Hopland is just Tie Dye and Dispensaries anyway: They don’t even have a grocery store…
ADA Sidewalks in Hopland… Really?
No need to reroute a whole new highway. Just use existing routes.
The turn off of Old river Rd (enroute north to Hopland before coming to the green bridge) will be the new faster (4 lane extension) bypass around Hopland cutting between Old and new Hopland. When the new bypass approaches the 175 junction (which could have an on and off ramp connection) the bypass would cross over the river across the vineyard and reconnect with the current two lane slow boat 101 road just pass the Hewlett Sturtevant rd and before Rd 112 A. Then in a second phase just make the remaining several miles to Ukiah four full lanes with higher speed limits and maybe one more on and off ramp at Henderson / McNab rd. No more contracting and expanding lanes along those vineyards and hill tops. Old River Rd would become the new access points for the Vineyards North of Hopland and South of Ukiah. Caltrans only really needs to purchase a handful of parcels between Rd112A and the most southern point of Old river road for the bypass. With vineyard land market values declining, the landowners may be more open to selling these plots to Caltrans for the new Bypass.
Unfortunately it’s a blessing in disguise for Hopland since the 101 being right in the middle of town makes it so the County isn’t responsible to upgrade this nebulas section of road to comply with ADA standards. In an ideal world Caltrans would have already done this bypass project and the County would be on the hook to upgrade this same section of road (for $12 million dollars it doesn’t have) in Hopland to comply with ADA standards.
A half a $Billion project to bypass a town with no stoplights that causes about a 1 minute slowdown?
Pork.
There’s barely anything there to bypass.
Let’s flip this narrative to Hopland is the biggest choke point on the 101 between Humboldt and the Golden Gate bridge on a good day without any construction delays or bad weather. Everything from Semi trucks, passenger cars, and big heavy equipment vehicles have to pass through this narrow corridor shared with passing pedestrians every year called Hopland’s downtown. Traffic flow savings is counted in thousands of car at a couple minutes per a car, a few thousand brake pads saved, and that many fewer pedestrian / vehicle fatalities each year, which adds up fast in $$$$. Every time someone develops a vineyard warehouse or new house in Hopland, Ukiah, Willits, etc it’s one more car and/or truck trying to make a left turn on La Franchi, another impatient driver trying to minimize their downtime on the road speeding through downtown, another reason people have to traverse this underdeveloped section of road on foot. If Mendocino is to grow its economy, it will need to grow the infrastructure.