The two-lane highway of 89 has sometimes been a problem for traffic when dealing with slower trucks (and speeding vehicles) on the incline to get to McCloud from the I-5 corridor. And that is just one part of some of the issues on Highway 89 for regular commuters and vacationers traveling through the area. Caltrans, along with the county, is researching whether a roundabout should be placed at the main entrance to McCloud on Highway 89 to help control traffic and reduce accidents at that intersection.
But a different project, identified in 2019 with an initial study approved in 2021, addresses the need to widen Highway 89 from Mud Creek Bridge to the I-5 corridor to four lanes.
Caltrans (California Department of Transportation) Senior Transportation Engineer and Project Manager Mazen Zaina, PhD, PE, has announced that the agency will widen Highway 89 to four lanes. Work on the project, estimated to cost over $16 million, has begun with tree removal along the highway. It is approximately 9 miles from I-5 to McCloud and 7 miles from McCloud to Mud Creek. Most of the work will take place next spring and summer, with major construction activities expected to be completed by fall 2026, including paving and adding drainage to the new lanes, according to Zaina. The only downside will be traffic delays—Zaina says they expect 15-minute delays throughout the summer.
