INYO COUNTY — There are safer travels ahead on U.S. 395 in the Owens Valley with the end of major construction on the Olancha-Cartago 4-Lane Expressway Project. This project constructed 12.5 miles of new pavement, replacing the previous two-lane highway with a split 4-lane expressway designed to eliminate cross-centerline crashes. This is the final stretch of U.S. 395 to be converted into a 4-lane expressway in most of Inyo County.
“The Olancha Cartago 4-Lane Expressway Project underscores Caltrans’ safety and people-first philosophy,” said Acting District 9 Director Brandon Fitt. “Enhancing safety along this vital roadway improves the quality of life for residents of Olancha and Cartago and provides a better and more efficient travel experience for drivers.”
The new lanes on U.S. 395 closed the gap between existing four-lane sections to the north and south. The upgraded facility will meet future transportation demands as vehicle and freight traffic through the region continues to increase.
The project was initiated in the District 9 Planning branch in 1998, and studies of possible bypasses in the area go as far back as the 1960s. Fisher Sand & Gravel started construction on the project in January 2022, and its crews moved approximately 1.6 million yards of earth and laid 290,000 tons (approximately the weight of a Boeing 747) of fresh asphalt.
One of the notable project features was the use of a temporary rock crusher and asphalt production plant on-site. It utilized crushed granite harvested from the ground within the project area to produce roadway base and asphalt. This method reduced trucking costs associated with transporting material from long distances, saving time and taxpayer money.
Some of the project features include:
- 10’ shoulders.
- New highway access points at Lake Street, Crystal Geyser Road, and the State Route 190 connector.
- A multi-use undercrossing.
Before work on the new lanes started, crews relocated nearly 150 Joshua trees and several desert tortoises within the project area. For more information on these endeavors, Caltrans produced videos that can be seen on the District 9 Projects page: Olancha Cartago Project.
Pictured: Acting District 9 Director Brandon Fitt and guests cut the ribbon along the new lanes of U.S. 395, signaling the end of major construction.
On October 23, Caltrans hosted a ribbon cutting for the project, marking the end of major construction on the highway. The event featured speeches from Acting District 9 Director Brandon Fitt, Inyo District 5 Supervisor Will Wadelton, and Fisher Sand & Gravel Area Supervisor Robert Nelson. At the ceremony, a representative from Assemblyman David Tangipa’s office presented Fitt with a certificate celebrating Caltrans’s commitment to the people of Inyo County.
“The completion of the Olancha-Cartago 4-Lane Expressway Project could not have been accomplished without decades of work from dedicated Caltrans employees and our partners in the region who worked with us to see it through to the end,” said Fitt. “I am grateful for their continued commitment to safety.”
The Olancha-Cartago 4-Lane Project cost approximately $165 million, including $33.9 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) – also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Under IIJA, California will receive an estimated $41.9 billion over five years. IIJA provides significant funding to rebuild California’s transportation system, including support to improve roadways, bridges, freight projects, public transportation, infrastructure safety enhancements, and to increase infrastructure resiliency to the impacts of severe weather and climate change. For more information about projects transforming communities throughout California, visit www.build.ca.gov.