Highway 101 improvements sought by Trinidad Rancheria
The Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria (Trinidad Rancheria) proposes a range of roadway improvements in Humboldt County along United States Highway 101 (US 101) between post mile (PM) 99.6 and PM 101.1 (project). The proposed project would include improvements to the existing US 101/Trinidad-Main Street interchange; construction of a new US 101 interchange or a pedestrian overcrossing of US 101 at Cher-Ae Lane with no connection to US 101, and improvements to US 101 mainline and Scenic Drive.
The Trinidad Rancheria, a federally recognized tribe having a governmentto-government relationship with the United States is not a public agency, and therefore cannot be the CEQA lead agency for this project. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 1, as the permitting agency, will be the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and will be assuming responsibilities of lead agency for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) under National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) assignment. Caltrans plans to prepare a joint environmental document—an Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment (known as an EIR/EA)—pursuant to CEQA and NEPA.
The scoping process for the project includes early consultation with public agencies and the general public. A public scoping meeting is planned for February 20, 2024, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at The Heights Casino — Bingo Hall, 27 Scenic Drive, Trinidad, California. The meeting will provide interested parties the opportunity to learn about the proposed
project and to submit comments to assist the project team in the Draft EIR development process. The meeting will be held in-person and not hybrid. The Trinidad Rancheria has hired a professional videographer and will make the recording available for viewing following the meeting.
Caltrans is accepting written comments until March 15, 2024, by mail and/or email at the addresses below.
Jason Meyer, Environmental Branch Chief California Department of Transportation District 1 1656 Union Street Eureka, CA 95501 trinidadaccess@ dot.ca.gov
The Notice of Preparation with additional project information is available for review on the Trinidad Rancheria Tribal Website, https://trinidad-rancheria. org/news-announcements/, or you may request a copy by emailing, Leslie Sanders, Transportation and LandUse Director at lsanders@ trinidadrancheria.com.