MENDOCINO CO., 7/8/26 — Highway 101 is the main drag through Hopland, and starting the night of Sunday, July 12, it narrows to one lane after dark.
Caltrans crews begin the main construction phase of the Hopland 101 project on July 12 — a week later than first announced. PG&E’s gas line work is running long, and the crews boring broadband conduit through downtown are expected to need more time than planned, Matt Solano, a construction manager with Caltrans North Region, told residents in an email Sunday.
One-way traffic control will run from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., Sunday through Thursday nights, with north- and southbound traffic taking turns through a single open lane. Caltrans says drivers should expect delays of up to 10 minutes from the Feliz Creek Bridge to just north of First Street — the full length of downtown. The posted speed limit through the work zone drops to 25 mph.
The project rebuilds the town’s stretch of 101 from the ground up: curb ramps, sidewalks and driveways brought up to Americans with Disabilities Act standards, the roadway reconstructed and repaved, plus new signs. The construction contract went to Berkeley-based O.C. Jones & Sons for about $6.6 million in December, state contract records show. Caltrans puts the full project cost, right of way included, at about $12 million.
The broadband work is its own story. The state’s Middle Mile Broadband Network — the public fiber backbone lawmakers funded through Senate Bill 156 in 2021 — runs through Hopland, and its contractor started potholing and directional drilling downtown June 29. That work runs during the day while PG&E takes the night shift, keeps two-way traffic moving and is expected to wrap by July 10. However, Solano wrote, once PG&E completes its gas line work, the broadband crew could shift to nights. PG&E has warned the broadband crew that drilling for their installation could be difficult.
Hopland has seen all this coming for a while. PG&E has been relocating and updating gas lines through the project area — that’s the utility work behind the shorter overnight delays drivers have been hitting through town for weeks. Preliminary ADA work has been underway since mid-April. July 12 is when the heavy equipment moves in.
Once it does, the work zone stays active around the clock, from Sunday at 8 p.m. through Friday at 7 p.m. The lane squeeze itself is an overnight affair, but the 25 mph limit holds through the whole zone during construction. Weekends are clear: no work from Friday evening until Sunday night.
There’s no signed detour, and for through traffic no real way around: everyone driving 101 between Ukiah and Cloverdale hits at least part of the work zone. Locals point to Old River Road, the county two-lane along the east side of the river between Talmage and Old Hopland — but it feeds back to the highway by way of Highway 175, at a junction inside the work zone.
Parking will be tight in spots. Caltrans says parking and access in the work area may be difficult, and extra off-street parking has been set up. The work is phased, and the agency says downtown businesses will stay open for the duration.
Solano’s email puts the finish at November 2026. The state’s own contract is less optimistic: the ongoing-contract statement lists an estimated completion date of Sept. 1, 2027.
For a town whose front doors open onto a U.S. highway, the payoff is concrete in both senses — corners a wheelchair can actually get up, and sidewalks that connect.
Questions? Contact Caltrans at 707-994-9362 or HoplandADA@dot.ca.gov.
Until the cones clear, Hopland’s main street stays open — just slower, and one lane at a time after dark.