Caltrans District 9 details multiple Kern County road and safety projects; PIO to launch bike, crosswalk campaign

Catherine Carr, a Caltrans District 9 representative, told the Kern Council of Governments' Transportation Planning Policy Committee on Feb. 20 that the district is working with the California Highway Patrol and the Office of Traffic Safety on a social-media campaign focused on bike and crosswalk safety.

"District 9 is working with the CHP and the Office of Traffic Safety to put together a social media campaign for bike and crosswalk safety," Carr said, adding the project was "still taking shape" but that staff hope to present materials by the end of the month.

The presentation listed a range of construction and design projects across Kern County. Completed work included replacement of message signs and guardrail at the Keene truck scale and the Cache Creek truck scale and other maintenance at Keene. Ongoing and upcoming projects Carr described included the Tehachapi Maintenance Station rebuild (expected this spring), the Freeman erosion-repair project (construction starting later this spring and anticipated complete by July 2025), and a Mojave pavement rehabilitation project in design.

Carr said a pavement rehabilitation project north of Silver Queen Road will also upgrade Americans with Disabilities Act facilities and is anticipated to be ready to list in November 2026, with construction beginning in 2027. The district has executed a cooperative agreement with the City of Tehachapi to develop a project study report for improvements at the SR-58/Tehachapi Boulevard interchange; that PSR is expected by the end of the fiscal year and will identify preferred alternatives.

Other items on the list included a Kern County lighting replacement project paused until March for delivery of light standards and pedestrian safety work on State Route 178 in Ridgecrest, where crews are modifying signals and lighting between Norma Street and Richmond Road; Carr said intermittent lane closures and some overnight work may be required.

Carr also said the district’s public information officers are producing a slideshow video to brief Tehachapi residents about the King Pavement project; the video was expected to be released in about two weeks and Caltrans will continue coordinating with local agencies as construction approaches. Brian Westling, District 9’s deputy director of engineering, is scheduled to present more details at the Kern COG May meeting.

Committee members and county supervisors raised local concerns during the presentation. Supervisor Parlier asked whether Caltrans could standardize paint colors used to cover graffiti on retaining walls along the State Route 99 corridor; Carr said she would refer the maintenance question to district maintenance operations for follow up. A meeting participant described local agency plans to produce a short informational video with a QR code to direct residents to more detailed instructions on how motorists and cyclists should behave in new green bike lanes and roundabout crosswalks; Carr invited coordination between the district public information officers and local agencies.

The committee approved the meeting consent agenda by roll call before the Caltrans presentation; the approval was recorded as a formal committee action.