Caltrans cleared for nighttime SR‑1 borings to inform fish‑passage bridge design; Sherwood Valley tribe raises notice concerns

Caltrans will be allowed to conduct five geotechnical borings at two locations along State Route 1 after the Mendocino County Coastal Permit Administrator approved a coastal development permit on June 12, 2025.

Staff planner Mark Klieser said the work covers one drill site at Post Mile 4.64 near Fish Rock Gulch/Anchor Bay Campground and two sites at Post Mile 58.78 approximately 1 mile south of Fort Bragg near Tragoning Drive. The borings, each up to about 100 feet deep, are intended to assess subsurface conditions for foundations for free‑span bridges that will replace culverts blocking fish passage, Klieser said. Work will take place in Caltrans right‑of‑way, with no permanent development proposed, and Caltrans told the administrator it will minimize vegetation removal…