Major Highway 41 upgrade underway after years of community pressure

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- On Friday morning, Caltrans announced the groundbreaking of the State Route 41 Excelsior Expressway Four-lane Project.

A moment nearly two decades in the making.

"It was too important to let is sit for another 20 years. It was too important to not keep on pushing and not just for the people here in the valley but for everyone in the state of California," said California Transportation Commissioner Lee Ann Eager.

The $77.2 million project will transform about 6 miles of Highway 41 from a two-lane highway to a divided four-lane expressway.

The work is happening between the Excelsior Avenue Undercrossing in Kings County to Elkhorn Avenue in Fresno County.

Every person on the podium sharing why this project is so personal, recounting the number of lives lost on that stretch of road.

"I called Buddy the day after my cousin's husband was killed just down the road, right here. He was a four tour veteran from Iraq," said Widen 41 Public Group Advocate Lorna Roush.

Lorna Roush, a long time advocated with the Widen 41 Public Group on Facebook, says she's proud of all the families who never stopped telling their stories in hope of inspiring change.

"To the families that have endured the hardest moments of their lives, losing loves ones on this road, your voices have made a difference," said Roush.

California Transportation Commissioner Lee Ann Eager says she remembers getting her hands on the project in 2020.

She commended everyone involved for not giving up.

"We can add lanes. We can make sure that safety is our number one concern. safety," said Eager.

Once the project is finished, in Fall of 2028, it will complete a continuous 44-mile corridor with roads north and south of the project limits.

A smooth and safe stretch that will not only benefit locals but the tens of thousands who travel on Highway 41.

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