County wins nearly $40 million state grant for Redeemer Road extension; environmental reviews and design next

Mendocino County transportation officials announced on May 6 that the state has awarded $39,930,000 through the Local Transportation Climate Adaptation Program (LTCAP) to fund right-of-way acquisition and construction for a proposed Redeemer Road extension east of Ukiah.

Transportation Director Howard DeShields and project manager Alicia Willacher described the project as a regionally significant secondary north-south corridor. The proposed alignment would include a new roundabout at North State Street and West Lake Mendocino Drive, an at-grade crossing of the railroad, roadway fill sections across the floodplain, a bridge over the Russian River and elevated structures in portions of the alignment where flooding or environmental constraints exist.

The county previously secured LTCAP Cycle 1 funds for project approval and environmental/design phases. The Cycle 2 award covers right-of-way and construction but staff emphasized a multi-step process remains: Environmental (CEQA and NEPA) and permitting work must be completed before construction. Staff estimated right-of-way work in 2027'—28 and phased construction between 2029 and 2031, noting federal- and state-permitting timelines and potential escalation in materials/construction costs.

Why it matters: The project aims to provide an additional all-weather crossing of the Russian River and reduce single-corridor vulnerabilities for the Ukiah Valley. Officials said the alignment would improve emergency response routing and climate resiliency by providing an alternative north-south route during floods or major incidents.

Funding and next steps: The county will continue environmental studies, coordinate with the U.S. Army Corps, Caltrans and resource agencies, and pursue additional state grants and matching funds to cover a local match estimated by staff at 10% of construction costs (staff said additional state sources had reduced an initial 20% local match to 10%). DeShields and his team said they would continue to seek grant partners and refine engineer's estimates to capture escalation and contingencies.

Board action: Supervisors voted unanimously to authorize the director of transportation to accept the LTCAP grant, execute the grant agreement and sign related documents.

Ending: Transportation staff said they will return to the board with required environmental documents and right-of-way plans as they are completed.