South Main Street and Soda Bay Road Widening and Bike Lanes Project

The South Main Street and Soda Bay Road Widening and Bike Lanes Project is a roadway rehabilitation and expansion effort in Lake County, California, managed by the Lake County Department of Public Works. The project encompasses a 1.3-mile corridor, consisting of a 0.5-mile segment of South Main Street and approximately 0.8 miles of Soda Bay Road. The primary scope involves widening the existing 24-foot paved roadway to 52 feet to accommodate two 12-foot travel lanes, a 12-foot center turning lane, and 8-foot paved shoulders serving as Class II bicycle facilities. Additional infrastructure work includes undergrounding utility lines, improving surface drainage, correcting a horizontal curve on Soda Bay Road, and altering seven culverts. Environmental compliance is a critical component of the project, governed by CEQA, the Endangered Species Act, and Executive Order 13186. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has executed Streambed Alteration Agreement LAK-61069-R2 to manage impacts on riparian areas, including the removal of 21 mature trees and the management of 3.04 acres of new impervious surface. The project is expected to span two construction seasons, with specific constraints requiring in-channel work to occur during the dry season and outside the Clear Lake Hitch spawning season. Recent modifications to the project include the addition of nighttime construction to maintain vehicle access, which was determined to have no new significant environmental effects.