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Local Watchdog Vows Review of Highway 4 Median; Board to Revisit at Dec. 9 Meeting
Summary
A local watchdog cited public‑records analysis and urged the board to challenge Caltrans’ Highway 4 concrete median, saying collision data used to justify the project may be flawed; the speaker asked the board to act at the Dec. 9 meeting and faulted both Caltrans and county officials for inattention.
Christopher Butner, a local publisher and government‑watchdog blogger, used the general‑comment period of the Nov. 25 meeting to press the board to revisit Caltrans’ installation of a concrete median on Highway 4. Butner told the board he has analyzed preliminary records obtained from Caltrans and said the collision statistics used to justify the median (May 2019–March 2022) showed an average of about 5.6 collisions per year and may have been a statistical anomaly.
Butner urged the board to ask pointed questions of Caltrans and to consider removal and restoration of Highway 4 from post mile 29.49 to 29.62, saying the community has been burdened with an unnecessary hazard. He also accused county officials of missing multiple opportunities to object and urged individual and collective accountability.
The board acknowledged the comment and indicated the matter will be on the Dec. 9 agenda for further review of records and possible next steps. No formal action occurred Nov. 25; Butner said he will present his findings on Dec. 9.
