Southbound I-5 commercial vehicle facility a go in Tehama County

Julie R. Johnson, Corning Observer, Calif.
·2 min read

May 22—Motorists traveling north on Interstate 5 through Tehama County and into Shasta County pass the California Highway Patrol's Cottonwood Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility/Scales situated on the east side of the freeway, where big rigs are regularly inspected for safety, code enforcement and violations.

California Highway Patrol has announced it is developing a similar facility on the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 directly across from the northbound facility.

The project will upgrade the current southbound commercial vehicle scales to a full Class C facility, meaning it will "accommodate proper staffing and functionality to perform all needed inspection and enforcement duties by the CHP."

"Upgrading the scales will provide an inspection building/bay that can accommodate overweight trucks, adequate parking for trucks, and improve traffic flow, along with providing a water and sanitary sewer system," said Kurt Villavicencio, CalTrans District 2 public information officer. "The new facility will be consistent with other similar CHP facilities."

He explained the existing southbound CHP facility, built in 1957, is undersized to accommodate proper staffing and is functionally obsolete to perform all needed inspection and enforcement duties.

Funding for the project is estimated at $22.6 millions

Construction is scheduled to begin this summer and last approximately 225 working days, of which 30 days will require traffic control.

On average 850,000 big rigs pass through the northbound commercial vehicle facility annually with the CHP inspecting at least 20 percent of those vehicles.

Inspections are based on levels, with level one being a thorough inspection of the vehicle, driver's paperwork, including licenses, logs and bill of laden. A level two is a walk around visual inspection and paperwork with a level three inspection of paperwork only.

In addition, the CHP has mobile commercial operations patrol units designated for on-the-road officers who are specialists in commercial vehicle inspections and assistance.