Switch to New Alignment of Hwy. 46 East of Cholame

Date: Thursday, February 5, 2026
District: 05 - Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties
Contact: Kevin Drabinski or Heidi Crawford
Phone: (805) 549-3138 or (805) 549-3318

SWITCH TO NEW ALIGNMENT OF HIGHWAY 46 EAST OF CHOLAME
TO RESULT IN TRAFFIC DELAYS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9 AND TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — Travelers on Highway 46 east of Cholame will encounter daytime traffic delays, on Monday, Feb. 9 and Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 8 am to 4 pm. Over the course of two days, crews will switch travelers on Hwy. 46 across to the new structures and the new alignment of the roadway, slightly north of the previous alignment.

Travelers can expect delays of 15 minutes with intermittent delays not to exceed 30 minutes. CHP will be on hand to conduct traffic breaks as striping and other work is performed to guide travelers on to the new alignment.

The work schedule for the Hwy. 46 traffic switch is weather dependent. Updates will be provided if there are changes to this schedule.

Local Impacts
Once the new traffic pattern and alignment of Hwy. 46 is in place, local access to Hwy. 46 will also change. The structures for the new alignment take travelers over Cholame Creek, Cholame Creek Overflow, and Cholame Valley Road. This new configuration also reconfigures how Cholame Valley Road will be accessible from Highway 46.

One notable change will be between the driveway turnoff to the Jack Ranch Café and the Highway 46/41 Separation Bridge/Ramps. The new alignment will be slightly north of the old one with no at-grade intersections between Jack Ranch Café and the Highway 46/41 Separation Bridge/Ramps. Consequently, direct access to and from Cholame Valley Road and Davis Road via the new alignment of Hwy. 46 will no longer be possible.

A portion of the old Hwy. 46 will remain between Jack Ranch Café and Cholame Valley Road, serving as a frontage road connecting Jack Ranch Café, Davis Road, and Cholame Valley Road. This change will impact travelers heading north on Cholame Valley Road to the town of Parkfield and travelers coming from Parkfield on Cholame Valley Road south to access the new Hwy. 46 alignment. The turnoff at the Jack Ranch Café will now be the access point for Cholame Valley Road for both eastbound and westbound Hwy. 46 traffic. This new section of Cholame Valley Road connects at the driveway at Jack Ranch Café and continues east on the old alignment of Hwy. 46 past Davis Road until the intersection of the existing Cholame Valley Road. There will be a 90-degree turn that connects this new portion of Cholame Valley Road with the existing road. Access to Hwy. 46 from Cholame Valley Road at the Jack Ranch Café will be a right turn to head east on Hwy. 46 to the Hwy. 41 separation, and a left turn to head west on Hwy. 46 towards Paso Robles.

Road information and updates can also be found on Caltrans Central Coast District 5 Social Media Platforms: X at @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.