LEE VINING TO GET THE CALTRANS TREATMENT
Most highway projects aim to lessen congestion, but promoting congestion isn’t a bad thing in the Lee Vining Rehabilitation Project, said Caltrans Design Manager Michael Collins.
The $20 million project seeks to revitalize the town’s “Main Street,” a segment of the 2.5-mile project scope.
Collins, accompanied by Project Manager Austin West and Project Engineer Eric Girod, presented an update on the project at the Lee Vining Community Center on Wednesday, September 11.
The existing pavement layout on U.S. 395 through Lee Vining is a five-lane road with parallel parking. Caltrans plans to implement a “road diet” on this segment, reducing it to a three-lane road (one lane each direction plus a turn lane) and adding pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.
Caltrans also plans to repair and construct drainage systems to manage stormwater effectively. One of the new drainage spots will be located behind the Shell gas station, which already has a storm pipe, Collins explained. They will enlarge that pipe and build a berm.
Caltrans will also begin to direct and collect stormwater in a flat area north of the high school to prevent erosion during heavy storms.
At the same time, they will add bike lanes in both directions, and widen the sidewalks. To meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, the sidewalks must be 14 to 16-feet wide and feature curb extensions.
“Is that because someone in a wheelchair sued you guys?” asked an audience member regarding the new sidewalk regulations at the Lee Vining meeting.
“Well, that did happen,” West chuckled. “But they sued on a state level, not a local one.”
Following the new ADA standards, the Caltrans team aims to create “holistic” sidewalks with new street trees, greenery, and improved lighting.
Caltrans will also install 20′ tall, “pedestrian-friendly” light fixtures, which the town can attach banners to (if it wants).
The intention is to have three of these fixtures installed on each block, similar to the lighting on Warren Street in Bishop.
A beacon will be added near Nicely’s that will arch over the road with flashing yellow lights to enhance safety for pedestrians crossing the street. Rearranged parking will reduce the number of people crossing on other sections of the road.
The plan does not remove any parking. It maintains parallel parking on most blocks and adds some angled parking at the Mono Market and truck parking at the north and south ends of town.
The project is not meant to promote or encourage the truck lots as a truck stop, Collins clarified. The goal of those lots is to prevent truck drivers from monopolizing street parking.
Planning for the Lee Vining Rehabilitation Project began in 2018, during which Caltrans conducted community outreach to gather feedback from the town. From that feedback, it created a needs assessment document. They are now in the design phase.
“We didn’t change anything without your input,” Collins said. “We heard a lot about how these changes would address speed, traffic, and snow removal.”
They plan to advertise the project in June 2025, later than anticipated due to staffing issues.
Construction, currently set to begin in May 2026, may be delayed by a year if the county, along with the Lee Vining Public Utility District (PUD), decides to replace the water and sewer systems, which Caltrans recommends because they are in poor condition. Replacing these systems would cost about two million dollars.
“We believe it’s the right thing to do, but the state doesn’t own those utilities; they’re owned by the PUD,” Collins said. “We can’t legally pay for those.”
Once construction begins, work hours will be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with occasional overtime. The construction teams can only work on one block at a time, sometimes just half a block.
When an area is under construction, traffic will still flow through town but will be pushed to one side, with limited on-street parking. Access to buildings will be prioritized, and Caltrans wants to keep all businesses open during working hours and will indicate that through signage.
The only season in which construction teams are allowed to work on the project is between May 1 and October 15, Collins noted. Caltrans is currently applying for an extension to begin work in April to expedite the project.
“We really want to make it easy for the contractor to complete this job in one season,” Collins said.
Once the project is complete, Caltrans will conduct a speed survey and will attempt to change the speed limit in the area to 25 miles per hour.
