Highway 46 Major Improvements and 13th Street Bridge Widening

Highway 46 stretches from the Central Coast of California near Cambria, east to San Joaquin Valley, connecting to the US 101 in Paso Robles. Both Highway 46 east and west corridors experienced significant increases in traffic levels and a deteriorating level of service for over a decade. The City of Paso Robles implemented major modifications to the corridors to improve local, regional, and interregional transportation circulation.

The City selected Cannon to provide construction management services for the Highway 46 improvements. The project included installation of an additional southbound left turn lane from the 46 East onto southbound US 101 and construction of a second lane and auxiliary lane at the southbound on-ramp to US 101. The existing off-ramp at 16th Street was abandoned and a new on/off ramp and signalized intersection was installed at 17th Street.

Other new road construction and street enhancements included widening the 13th Street bridge, installing Type 60 Barrier, reconstructing four signalized intersections, and installing a ramp meter. The south side of the bridge included a newly widened sidewalk, brick work, fencing, and streetlights.

The west corridor also required improvements to the geometrics and signalization. The project included disconnecting Theatre Drive from its original location and realigning it approximately 900-feet west along Highway 46. By doing so, the City benefited from a reduction of existing and projected traffic congestion, improvement of traffic operations, and reduction of delays at the interchange. This project was funded through ARRA, and additional coordination with the City was necessary to confirm funding compliance.

The east Corridor improvements were funded through a grant from the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) administered by San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG).