Detours and closures along Highway 41 through Thursday this week

Travel to and from the Central Valley and the Coast will look a little different this week.

Starting Tuesday morning, a closure along Highway 41 at Highway 46 will force drivers to detour.

"I don't let that stop me, it's always nice to get over to the coast, especially now with temperatures getting hotter," says Robert Hunter, who has traveled this route dozens of times.

He has seen the improvements of the widening project by Caltrans.

"The intersection from 46 and 41, they have four lanes all the way to 101 Paso Robles, and it makes it super nice, very good," explains Robert.

It's been nearly 20 years since Caltrans started the four-lane expressway on Hwy. 46.

Helping ease traffic from the US. 101 near Paso Robles to I-5 near Lost Hills.

"It's been a major positive and has enhanced traffic safety greatly," expresses Jim Shivers, with Caltrans District 5.

The change, necessary, as the two-lane highway has seen a number of crashes in recent years.

And Caltrans, asking locals to do their part as the road work continues.

"We are estimating a delay somewhere around 45 minutes to an hour. This is a detour that we have done many times in the past. It is effective. We're simply asking travelers to allow more time for any trips," mentions Jim.

A message local, Robert, echoes, "You don't want to be in a hurry because when you take these detours things aren't in that good of condition and things can happen, and you don't want them to happen you're supposed to be going and enjoy yourself, you don't need to be running off the side of the road because you hit a pit hole or blew a tired or something."

Caltrans says people should plan to spend 45 minutes to an hour more on the road due to the detour.

The area should be back open on Thursday.

The widening project will continue for at least two more years.

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