Last Chance Grade is a section of U.S. Route 101 (US 101) in Del Norte County, California, built upon heavily shifting ground. As a result, it is prone to landslides and collpases, making it dangerous to drive and requiring extensive maintenance to keep open. In 2024, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) proposed a 6,000-foot (1,800 m) tunnel to bypass the entire section.
.svg) U.S. Route 101 | |
|---|---|
| Last Chance Grade | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained by Caltrans | |
| Length | 3 mi (4.8 km) |
| Existed | 1937–present |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Del Norte |
| Highway system | |
Route description
editLast Chance Drive is located on US 101 north of Klamath and south of Crescent City in Del Norte County, California. The route, which travels for 3 miles (4.8 km) along the north coast through Redwood National and State Parks, is lined with Redwood trees, offers sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, and reduces the drive distance between Klamath and Crescent City by 449 miles (723 km). It is also the only route that links Crescent City with nearby Humboldt County, and the route connects critical infrastructure, such as hospitals and schools, in the area.[1][2] Daily traffic on the route is approximately 6000 vehicles and includes semi-trailers.[3]
A portion of Last Chance Grade is built on earthflow that shifts about two inches (5.1 cm) per year. Another portion is built on fractured sandstone.[2] The area is also near the Cascadia Subduction Zone.[4] As a result, the road is prone to collapses, landslides, rock slides, and other ground failures.[2] According to Caltrans, the route experiences an average of one to three landslides per decade.[5]
History
editLast Chance Grade was first built as a wagon trail in 1894, while its current alignment was completed between 1933 and 1937. Numerous slides and slipouts occurred during construction, and engineers also noted that the constant land movement would make the route difficult to maintain. As of 2025[update], the route had shifted 40 feet (12 m) horizontally and 30 feet (9.1 m) vertically from its 1930s alignment, with the movement accelerating in recent years.[1]
The route was closed to two-way traffic from 2014 to 2023.[1] Additionally, a 2021 landslide completely closed the route for several days.[2] A Caltrans study in 2018 determined that a one-year full closure of the route would devastate the area, resulting in 3,800 lost jobs (the population of the entire county is 27,000) and $456 million (equivalent to $559 million in 2024[6]) in losses to the local economy.[1]
More than two dozen retaining walls have been built in attempts to stabilize the route, but maintenance on these walls alone cost more than $125 million between 1997 and 2025.[1] Additionally, $49 million was spent between 2015 and 2018 (equivalent to $61.5 million in 2024[6]) on lane restoration, storm drain repairs, and retaining wall repairs and construction.[5]
In 2024, Caltrans chose a new project from more than 15 alternatives[4] to re-route US 101 through a 6,000-foot (1,800 m) tunnel under the shifting ground, about 100 to 400 feet (30 to 122 m) beneath the surface. The estimated cost of the tunnel is $2.1 billion.[1][2] In 2025, $40 million was allocated to jumpstart the design process; the entire design phase is expected to cost $275 million.[5] Additionally, $50 million was secured in 2019 for the project's environmental impact assessment,[7] which was completed in 2023.[8] The rest of the project is unfunded, but even so, construction is scheduled to begin in 2030, which would allow the tunnel to open by 2038.[1][2]
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Branson-Potts, Hailey (September 3, 2025). "This California highway is a lifeline, and deadly. Can it be fixed before it falls into the sea?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 McGrew, Sarah (November 17, 2025). "A stretch of Highway 101 is sliding toward the Pacific. Caltrans hopes a $2 billion tunnel will solve the problem". Sacramento, California: KCRA. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
- ↑ Swan, Rachel (July 25, 2025). "This California city relies on a highway that's sliding into the ocean. Fixing it will cost $2 billion". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
- 1 2 "1.1-mile tunnel to make highway safer would be California's longest". American Society of Civil Engineers. September 3, 2025. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
- 1 2 3 LaFever, Matt (July 6, 2025). "With 6,000-foot tunnel and $2.1 billion, California set to save remote region". SFGate. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
- 1 2 Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- ↑ McGuire, Mike (March 14, 2019). "State invests additional $40 million to finalize environmental impact report for Last Chance Grade" (Press release). Retrieved May 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Caltrans reaches milestone release of draft environmental document for permanent Last Chance Grade solution". California Department of Transportation. December 15, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2026.