A Highway 174 safety improvement project, that had some controversy, is in winter hibernation before resuming in the spring. Cal Trans Public Information Officer Raquel Borrayo says it’s a two-mile stretch, from Maple Way to You Bet Road that will, among other features, widen shoulders, improving what they call the Clear Recovery Zone…

Cal Trans says the benefits of wider shoulders also include enhanced pedestrian and bicyclist safety. There will also be additional room off the travelled-way for emergency response vehicles, such as fire trucks, ambulances, law enforcement vehicles and tow trucks, as well as service vehicles, such as mail carriers and garbage trucks. Borrayo says the collision rate there has been higher than the statewide average…

Borrayo says a southbound left-turn pocket will also be added at Greenhorn Access Road. The project did take some heat for including a number of large tree removals. Completion is scheduled for next November.