Madera 41 South Expressway

The Madera 41 South Expressway project, managed by Caltrans District 6, involves the expansion of a 6.1-mile section of State Route 41 in southeast Madera County from post mile 1.5 to 7.6. The scope of work entails converting the existing two-lane highway into a divided four-lane expressway, spanning from 0.8 mile south of the Avenue 11 undercrossing to 1.4 miles north of Avenue 15. The project is classified under NAICS code 237310 and is subject to various environmental regulations, including CEQA and the California Endangered Species Act. Environmental compliance is a critical component of the project, as the construction will impact the habitats of the threatened California tiger salamander and the endangered San Joaquin Valley Orcutt grass. The project involves the permanent loss of approximately 70.04 acres of upland and 0.21 acre of breeding habitat for the salamander, as well as 0.94 acres of habitat for the Orcutt grass. To address these impacts, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife issued Incidental Take Permit No. 2081 2024-068-04-A1, with Amendment No. 1 specifically reducing the impact area and corresponding compensatory mitigation for the San Joaquin Valley Orcutt grass. The project has received necessary approvals from the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.