US 101 South of Salinas Corridor
US 101 South of Salinas Corridor
Welcome to the US 101 South of Salinas Corridor!
The US 101 South of Salinas Improvements represent a series of substantial efforts by Caltrans and the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) to enhance safety, mobility, and access along one of the Salinas Valley’s most essential travel corridors.
Overview
Background
Stretching approximately 8 miles between south of Salina and Chular, this segment of US 101 serves thousands of residents, commuters, farmworkers, and freight operators every day. This corridor serves a wide range of traffic, including residents, traveler, and heavy regional agriculture transport. US 101 is the primary artery along California's Central Coast and plays a vital role in statewide commerce linking the Central Coast's agricultural operations to markets both state and nationwide.
Improving safety and efficiency along this corridor supports not only daily travel, it strengthens the agricultural economy and long-term mobility throughout the region. To meet both near-term safety needs and long-term safety needs and long-term mobility goals, the effort is organized into a series of coordinated but separate projects.
Location Map
Overview of SOS Highway Improvement Projects
Caltrans District 5 and partner Transportation Agency for Monterey County are planning a series of improvements to the South of Salinas Corridor.
Completed Projects
Spence Road Acceleration Lane:
This project installed an acceleration lane for use by vehicles entering Highway 101 at Spence Road.
Upcoming Projects
South of Salinas Access Management Project (Near-Term Safety Project):
A project focused on reducing collisions by closing 11 median openings to eliminate unsafe left turns and U turns and improve predictable traffic flow.
US 101 South of Salinas Corridor Improvement Project (Long-Term Mobility Project):
A long range plan to reconstruct key interchanges, develop new frontage roads, and support easier and safer access for residents, businesses, and agriculture.
Other Projects
- Monterey 101 Drainage Project: Construction underway, 2026-2028. Project improvements include drainage upgrades in the SOS corridor and installation of a changeable message sign at Spence Road.
- Slab Replacement Projects: Construction planned to start in 2029. These projects will replace damaged pavement slabs in the SOS corridor which are not included in the corridor improvement project.
- Temporary Abbott Street Roundabout: Caltrans District 5 is working in partnership with Transportation Agency for Monterey County to initiate construction of a low-cost temporary roundabout on Abbott Street approximately 1.5 miles south of Harris Street. This roundabout would be used for U-turn movements.
Existing Condition Overview
The approximately 8-mile long South of Salinas project corridor includes 11 at-grade intersections (seven local road intersections and four driveway intersections) and 7 at-grade rail crossings (three signalized and four unsignalized). The existing Abbott interchange consists of two non-standard left hand ramps (northbound offramp and southbound on ramp). The existing Chualar interchange is designed to old standards.
(Click image to enlarge)
Project Contact
Meg Henry, Project Manager
Phone: 805-441-3792
Email: meg.henry@dot.ca.gov
District 5 Public Information Office
Phone: 805-549-3318
Email: info-d5@dot.ca.gov
Documents
Caltrans makes every attempt to ensure our documents are accessible. Due to variances between assistive technologies, there may be portions of documents which are not accessible. Where documents cannot be made accessible, we are committed to providing alternative access to the content. Should you need additional assistance, please contact us at (916) 654-2852 or visit https://dot.ca.gov/request-ada-compliant-documents.