Caltrans is about to begin a project that will double lanes along Highway 46 in northern San Luis Obispo County.
A groundbreaking ceremony is set for this Friday.
The project will widen Highway 46 East from Shandon to Cholame.
"What we're doing is we're taking a five-mile stretch starting east of the Shandon rest area to east of the Jack Ranch Café," said Heidi Crawford, Public Information Officer for Caltrans District 5.
Construction on this phase is expected to wrap up sometime in 2024.
"We've made places on the road where people can merge on, they can merge off, unlike what it was before. Of course, any time you're taking anything from a two-lane to a four-lane, there's just better flow," Crawford said.
Caltrans say the project's price tag is more than $115 million with the money coming from the State Transportation Improvement Fund.
"It's going to affect commuters; it's going to affect the tourists; it's going to affect the trucking community—people that drive this road on a regular basis,” Crawford said.
At the end of the project, Highway 46 East will be a four-lane expressway from Paso Robles to Lost Hills in Kern County.
A project to improve the Highway 46/State Route 41 interchange is expected to begin in 2024.
