HIGHWAY 101 INTERCHANGE

Update: 08 March 2024

HARP will be submitting comments to Caltrans concerning the 14 February 2024 NOP and associated environmental impacts Scoping Session. Two of the issues that HARP will raise concern false claims made in the NOP and preceding documents. First, the claim that a proposed freeway overpass would reconnect tribal lands is false. Tribal lands to the east of US 101 were purchased in the mid 1980s, some 20 years after the 101 freeway was constructed. (For evidence supporting this assertion, click here.) Second, the claim that access to the Trinidad Rancheria’s casino and coastal properties from (North) Scenic Drive (i.e., from Trinidad to the Cher-ae Lane) is unreliable and in urgent need of improvements is false. Access from Trinidad been reliable for many decades, whereas access from South Scenic Drive (i.e., from Westhaven to Cher-ae Lane along Scenic Drive) has been consistently unreliable and the roadway highly unstable for the past 50 years. Proposed traffic improvements associated with the alternatives listed in the 01 March 2024 update call only for improvements to North Scenic Drive. For a visual comparison of the current status of North vs South Scenic Drive click here.

Update: 01 March 2024

On 20 February 2024, the Trinidad Rancheria, in collaboration with Caltrans, held a Public Scoping Session to allow members of the public to provide input concerning possible environmental impacts of the two remaining highway improvement project alternatives that are presented in their Notice of Preparation (NOP, released on or about 14 February 2024) for an eventual joint EIR (Environmental Impact Report, required under NEPA)/EA (Environmental Assessment, prepared under CEQA). (Caltrans District 1 will be the Lead Agency for the project and will be assuming responsibilities of the Federal Highway Administration (under NEPA) as well as state responsibilities under CEQA)). The Trinidad Rancheria has lead responsibility for development and evaluation of highway improvement proposals as well as for seeking funding for eventual construction. The third remaining alternative (No-Build/No Action) was not discussed or even mentioned at the scoping session, presumably because there would be no need for a scoping session for this alternative.

The two remaining highway improvement project alternatives are modifications of alternatives considered in the 2017 PSR (see Update: 9 August 2020, below) and are briefly described in the NOP. Descriptions of the alternatives are confusing, and both alternatives are illustrated on a single map (Figure 1 of the NOP). In the brief summaries of these alternatives that are provided below, “Improvements to Scenic Drive” include widening, construction of retaining walls, and other improvements designed to improve access from Main Street, Trinidad, to 200’ south of the Cher-ae Lane turnoff to the Rancheria’s Casino (i.e., improvements to north Scenic Drive only).

Alternative 3D: INTERCHANGE OPTION: Improvements to Scenic Drive; construction of a full US 101 interchange at PM (postmile marker) 100.0; construction of a US 101 overpass at PM 100.7 (to connect Tribal lands east and west of US 101), south of the interchange.

Alternative 5C: PEDESTRIAN OVERPASS/ROUNDABOUT OPTION: Improvements to Scenic Drive; construction of a pedestrian overpass at PM 100.0; and construction of a roundabout and other improvements in Trinidad in the neighborhood of the existing on-ramps and off-ramps from US 101.

Both options include construction of a “Class I Multi-use trail connecting tribal lands east and west of US 101.

Only the INTERCHANGE OPTION is shown or described in the October 2023 “Future Conditions White Paper” prepared by the Trinidad Rancheria.

Comments concerning potential environmental impacts of these two alternatives will be included in the EIR review and can be submitted BY WEDNESDAY MARCH 14, 2024:

in writing: to Jason Meyer, Environmental Branch Chief, Caltrans, District 1, 1656 Union St, Eureka, CA 95501; or

via email: to trinidadaccess@dot.ca.gov

Update: 17 October 2021 -

Local residents living along Westhaven Drive, and/or accessing their property from Westhaven Drive, have recently banded together to form a new Friends of Westhaven group (they may be contacted at friendsofwesthaven@protonmail.org). Formation of this group was prompted by local recognition that most of the Trinidad Rancheria/CALTrans proposals for alternative traffic improvements (described in detail in the narrative below), including those calling for an interchange between Westhaven and Trinidad, call for widening Westhaven Drive from Scenic Drive to Trinidad. The Westhaven Drive right-of-way is a full 50 feet wide and many fences/driveways/homes/leach fields encroach on this right-of-way as they were constructed many years prior to existence or enforcement of local planning controls. If Westhaven Drive were widened, a large number of property owners would therefore be adversely affected, as would the rural character of Westhaven and the drive from Westhaven to Trinidad. A brief background article on this topic is here.

Update: 9 August 2020 -

Caltrans has awarded the Trinidad Rancheria an additional $117K fiscal year 2020/2021 funding to develop a “Trinidad Rancheria Sustainable and Comprehensive Long-Range Transportation Plan”. The award will theoretically support four interactive workshops involving members of the local community. Presumably, this award will be tightly connected with the Rancheria’s previous $775K award (see below) for the “Environmental Phase” of the Caltrans “101/Trinidad Access Improvements” project report. A summary of the project is provided here. HARP has requested a copy of the full proposal for this funding and will post at the site when we receive it.

******************************************

Since 2001, the Trinidad Rancheria has been working to improve vehicular access to and travel between the Rancheria’s properties on the east and west sides of Highway 101 between Westhaven and Trinidad, with special interest in improving access to the Rancheria’s existing casino and proposed hotel. The following related studies have been completed by Rancheria consultants:

Trinidad Rancheria Access Improvement Feasibility Study, Winzler & Kelly, May 2002
Trinidad Rancheria Tribal Transportation Plan 2006‐2026, Winzler & Kelly, March 2006
Trinidad Rancheria Highway 101 Interchange Community Design Fair, Local Government
Commission, June 2009
Trinidad Rancheria Comprehensive Community‐Based Plan, Trinidad Rancheria, Dec. 2011
Trinidad Area Freeway Master Plan Study, Omni‐Means, Ltd., February 2014
Trinidad Rancheria Tribal Transportation Safety Plan, Trinidad Rancheria, June 2014

Since 2012, a Project Development Team (including staff representatives as attendees from Caltrans, Trinidad Rancheria, City of Trinidad, Humboldt County, and Humboldt Council of Governments) has been focused on improving access to Rancheria properties. According to the 2017 CalTrans PSR (see below), “the PDT team has been instrumental in developing the purpose and need statement for the project, as well as identifying all of the alternatives studied to date, and guiding discussions relating to design exceptions.” The PDT has worked with working CalTrans to develop a suite of alternatives which might achieve the following objectives:

1. Provide safe and sustainable access to and from US 101, for all modes of transportation, to the Trinidad Rancheria and the surrounding communities located along Scenic Drive, Westhaven Drive, and in the City of Trinidad.
2. Relieve projected traffic congestion associated with planned future development.
3. Reconnect tribal lands.

In December of 2017, CalTrans issued a Project Study Report (PSR) - Project Development Support titled “101/Trinidad Access Improvements.” The complete report may currently (as of April 2021) be accessed from the Rancheria’s website at https://trinidad-rancheria.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Final-PSR-PDS-Trinidad-Access-Project1.pdf (Note that the document is too large to be downloaded directly from this HARP website.) The project calls for an initial environmental evaluation of a number of alternatives that are identified below, according to the following proposed schedule:

The first phase of the project (the “Environmental Phase”) has been funded, with an award of $775,000 from CalTrans to the Rancheria , augmented by an additional $1.725 million from Rancheria transportation and economic development funds. Tasks to be accomplished in the Environmental Phase are described in the Preliminary Environmental Analysis Report that was included in the 2017 CalTrans PSR identified above. These include evaluating the environmental impacts of the numerous alternatives for highway access improvements that were developed by the PDT. According to the above table, a draft environmental document (presumably a draft EIR) is to be produced and circulated for comment by January 2021. Thus far, however, to HARP’s knowledge there have been no recent opportunities for members of the public to express their concerns about many of the alternatives that have been identified. “Stakeholder involvement” has thus far been limited to the 2010 “Design Fair” held by the Rancheria, at which time participants were shown an attractive hotel design nestled on top of the casino rather than the five story design presented in the BIA’s Final EA/FONSI for the proposed hotel (see HARP’s comments on draft EA and Trinidad Rancheria Hotel).

ALTERNATIVES

CalTrans Maps showing alternative options for improving 101/Trinidad access to Rancheria properties include the following:

Alternative 1A, Trinidad Main St. Interchange with traffic signals

Alternative 1B, Trinidad Main St. Interchange with roundabouts

Alternative 2, US 101 Overcrossing at Cher-ae Ln

Alternative 3A, New US 101 Cher-ae Ln Interchange with vehicle access to Westhaven

Alternative 3B, New US 101 Cher-ae Ln Interchange with mo vehicle access to Westhaven

Alternative 4A, Improve Scenic Drive from Westhaven to Trinidad

Alternative 4A-2, Improve Scenic Drive from Westhaven to Trinidad

Alternative 4B, Improve Scenic Drive North / New Frontage Road south to Westhaven

Alternative 5A, Trinidad Main St. Interchange with traffic signals and new overcrossing at Cher-ea-Ln

Alternative 5A-2, Trinidad Main St. Interchange with traffic signals and new overcrossing at Cher-ea-Ln

Alternative 5B, Trinidad Main St. Interchange with roundabouts and new overcrossing at Cher-ea-Ln

Alternative 6 New US 101/Baker Ranch Rd. Interchange

Alternative 7 US 101 Overcrossing at Cher-ae Ln and new frontage road

Alternative 8 New 101 1 Mile Spacing Interchange with local road connections

A summary table, including preliminary assessments of the costs, environmental and aesthetic impacts, right-of-way impacts (eminent domain proceedings, etc.) and ability to meet project needs (from the CalTrans PSR) is here. Full descriptions of project alternatives (again from the CalTrans PSR) are here. An alarming number of these alternatives would call for widening Westhaven Drive from Scenic Drive (above Moonstone Beach) to Trinidad. Widening of Westhaven Drive would have adverse impacts on many property owners and would detract from the rural character of the Westhaven area. See the 17 October 2021 Update above for more information on Westhaven Drive impacts.

The interchange options would all require an exception to the prescribed minimum distance between highway interchanges in California (2 miles). The proposed full interchange alternative would be located less than 1 mile south of Trinidad. The CalTrans PSR states that: “The interchange spacing design standard exception was approved on September 29, 2016 and can be provided upon request.” The exception document is here