Caltrans: SR76 needs six lanes, federal agencies slow process

The California Department of Transportation updated its traffic prediction data for State Route 76 in May, and the new data once again confirms the need for a six-lane highway between Melrose Drive and Mission Road by the year 2030.

“Our current traffic data, we believe, indicates the need for six lanes. We still haven’t convinced the agencies of that,” said Mark Phelan, the Caltrans project manager for the Highway 76 widening project.

Caltrans needs concurrence from the Federal Highway Administration, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Caltrans holds...