State OKs adding truck lane on eastbound Highway 58 near Keene
Oct. 19—One of Kern's oldest unmet transportation priorities finally got the attention it needed Thursday with state approval of $91 million to build a 3.5-mile truck climbing lane on eastbound Highway 58 between Bakersfield and Tehachapi.
Design work remains to be done as part of a larger rehabilitation project on the highway, but once construction is finished by around 2028, drivers on a vital freight corridor will face less safety risks from tractor-trailers interrupting traffic flow along what are now just two lanes in each direction from Caliente to Keene.
"Having to play Frogger with 18-wheelers, it's incredibly dangerous," said Key Budge, a spokesman for the city of Tehachapi, where residents have long called for the addition of a dedicated lane for slow-moving trucks on eastbound Highway 58.
Elected and appointed officials lauded the California Transportation Commission's decision Thursday to amend the scope of work and add money for a 44.8-mile, $257 million highway rehabilitation project that will now include wildlife underpasses as well as the truck climbing lane. Other work planned for the project includes better lighting, a guard rail and improved drainage.
The additional money is expected to come from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed by President Biden in November 2021.
Construction is scheduled to take about two years, during which time the highway will be reduced to one lane in each direction. People involved say it'll be worth the hassle.
"We are ecstatic," Tehachapi City Councilman Phil Smith said, adding that the project has been in the works for 23 years. "This has been a long haul in the making."
State Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, who has been pushing for the investment for years, said in a statement she appreciated Caltrans officials agreeing to add the truck lane to existing plans for the rehabilitation project.
"I want to thank the California Transportation Commission and Caltrans Director Tony Tavares for supporting our Tehachapi community and recognizing Highway 58's critical contribution to the state's transportation infrastructure," Grove stated.
"This truck climbing lane will reduce traffic congestion through the mountains and improve traffic safety," she continued. "Director Tavares recognized the highway's importance to the community, and agreed to accelerate construction of the truck climbing lane to accompany additional improvements."
Highway 58 is seen as a critical route for trucks carrying goods from Northern California to the Midwest. The problem has been that, when loaded tractor-trailers slowly climb the Tehachapi Pass, unburdened trucks behind them often pass to the left in front of passenger vehicles not expecting the intrusion, causing sometimes unsafe traffic scenarios.
"They just cut right in front of you," Budge said. "It's probably some of the (most) white-knuckle, dangerous driving you're going to face."
The truck climbing lane is planned to extend from seven-tenths of a mile east of Highway 223 to 3.4 miles east of Broome Road, according to the Kern Council of Governments, which has been a longtime supporter of the work approved Thursday.
Kern COG Executive Director Ahron Hakimi emphasized safety is the truck climbing lane project's primary purpose. He noted the project will require putting up a retaining wall and possibly the purchase of slivers of right of way to make room for a new lane measuring about 14 feet wide.
"It's excellent news," he said of CTC's action Thursday. "Great news."
