Update Saturday, May 18
Vintage Wine Estates (VWE) will likely continue the lawsuit to ensure Caltrans acts on traffic safety problems along the Highway 101 corridor between Los Berros Road near Nipomo and Traffic Way near Arroyo Grande, according to James Grant.
However, the project to restrict left-hand turns at El Campo Road and three other Highway 101 crossings will resume after a judge lifted a temporary stay of the project Thursday, May 16. Caltrans will announce a construction schedule when the details are certain, according to Caltrans Public Information Officer Jim Shivers.
Original Story
Work to restrict left-hand turns at El Campo Road and three other Highway 101 crossings will move forward after a Sacramento Superior Court judge lifted a temporary stay on the project Thursday, May 16, according to Caltrans Public Information Officer Jim Shivers.
This ruling follows a legal challenge brought in a Sacramento County against Caltrans to stop the project. The judge ruled yesterday that Caltrans can move forward with the closures on intersections along Highway 101 between Los Berros Road near Nipomo and Traffic Way near Arroyo Grande.
Vintage Wine Estates (VWE) said they are not moving forward with the lawsuit and are not standing in the way of the project.
“The purpose of the lawsuit was to shine a light on the bigger traffic safety problems along the corridor,” President of Vintage Wine Estates Terry Wheatley wrote in an email to Mustang News. “We collectively want Caltrans and the local governing agencies to consider additional solutions rather than implement a stop-gap plan.”
Caltrans will announce a construction schedule when the details are certain. Most of this roadwork is also dependent on weather conditions, according to Shrivers.
Caltrans was originally set to begin closures at the four crossings Monday, May 13, six months after computer engineering freshman Jordan Grant was killed at the El Campo Road crossing. The project is expected to cost $250,000.
Sacramento Superior Court documents show VWE filed a temporary restraining order and injunction to stop the project Tuesday, May 7.
Jordan’s father James Grant started a change.org petition to boycott the winery with more than 2,700 signatures. He met with Wheatley earlier this week.
“As the safety improvements move forward on El Campo we remain committed to working with Vintage Wine Estates and the local neighborhood leaders in finding a solution to the community need for an overpass in this area in the next five years and a more fair treatment of Laetitia Winery’s access needs,” James Grant wrote in a letter.