Full project completion expected by February
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — Construction on the Highway 46 East widening project in the Cholame area progressed with a traffic switch onto the new eastbound lanes on Monday, Jan. 13, and Tuesday, Jan. 14. To facilitate the re-direction of travelers onto the new eastbound lanes, multiple full traffic stops, not exceeding 10 minutes each, occurred between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. during the two-day period. These traffic stops resulted in the formal opening of the two eastbound lanes from east of the Shandon Roadside Rest Area to Davis Road near the Highway 46 East/State Route 41 Interchange.
Two-way traffic on the new westbound lanes of Highway 46 East ended with this traffic switch, although one westbound lane remained closed. The full opening and completion of the Cholame segment were scheduled for February. All businesses near the Highway 46 East corridor remained open throughout the construction. The contractor for this $116 million project, Atkinson Construction of Irvine, worked towards completing the project by February.
Atkinson Construction was also responsible for the Highway 46/State Route 41 “Wye” Interchange Project, which included widening Highway 46 from west of Davis Road to west of Antelope Road. This project was expected to be completed by the spring of 2026.
This widening followed four completed phases from Paso Robles leading to the Highway 46/41 intersection. The $47 million widening of Highway 46 East from McMillan Canyon Road to Lucy Brown Road was completed in 2019. The $38 million widening from Almond Drive to McMillan Canyon Road was finished in 2016. The segment from Geneseo Road to east of Almond Drive was completed in 2014, while the widening from Airport Road to Geneseo Road wrapped up in 2010.
Feature Image: The new eastbound lanes on Highway 46 East in Cholame got a step closer to completion with a traffic shift done earlier this week. Contributed Photos
