On Tuesday, we celebrate progress on Hwy. 46
James Dean made it famous when his speeding silver Porsche 550 Spyder collided with an unsuspecting farmer on Sept. 30, 1955, killing the rising star and building him a decades-long cult following.
But similar headlines with less familiar names have appeared year after year after year, making Highway 46 infamous for its danger and earning it the fitting moniker "Blood Alley."
In 1986, five vineyard workers on their way to provide for their families were killed instantly and another critically injured when a tractor-trailer inexplicably swerved into their lane, hitting them head-on.
But 1999 proved especially brutal for Highway 46. In April of that year, two families were shattered when a car carrying a family of four east to Cayucos careened into a Geo Prism carrying a 24-year-old mother from Visalia. The family of four all perished, as did the young mother, who left behind a 1-year-old daughter who was saved from the flames of the crash.
Less than three months later, another young woman died when her car collided with the mini-van carrying the Waski family of Bakersfield, whose four members were all left with devastating injuries.
In the last few weeks alone, seven people have been killed in crashes on Highway 46.
There are common themes that emerge after these crashes: often someone in a hurry chose to pass illegally or unsafely. But with Highway 46, the road itself is dangerous in its current design. Its long, straight stretches have been called deceptively safe, giving drivers the sense they can zip from Point A to Point B without regard for the posted speed limit, which seems to many a cruel plan to delay their arrival at the beach.
But when surprises pop up -- a slow-moving truck pulls out, an oncoming car appears out of a dip in the road -- a two-lane highway without shoulders leaves even the best drivers without room or opportunity to react.
On Tuesday, Nov. 10, Caltrans will break ground on much-awaited improvements to an eight-mile stretch of Highway 46 from its intersection with Highway 33 to Brown Material Road near Lost Hills. The section will be widened to four lanes, and a signal will be installed at the intersection.
To put this long-fought process into perspective, I was a freshman assemblyman and Gray Davis was still California's governor -- with no recall in sight -- when we first got the funds approved for the planning and environmental reviews necessary to make these improvements possible.
In fall 1999, working to wring progress out of tragedy, I introduced AB 72, requiring Caltrans to identify needed emergency safety improvements to Highway 46 and a projected timeline for their completion. At the same time, The Bakersfield Californian and I launched the "Fix 46" campaign.
In 2000, as a co-author of Assembly Bill 2928, the Transportation Congestion Relief Plan, I was able to secure a $30 million allocation for the widening of Highway 46. There were more roadblocks and breakthroughs to come, as I sought to fulfill a promise to the Waskis and the families of all those who perished that their loss would have purpose.
I lobbied the California Transportation Commission to make Highway 46 a funding priority, and in February 2007, the project received $45 million in Prop. 1B funds.
The final roadblock was the handful of property owners who held out on selling the land needed for the rights of way, but in the end the need for safety prevailed.
Much work remains to be done, but for one day, Nov. 10 , this is a celebration of progress.
State Sen. Dean Florez of Shafter represents the 16th District.
