New Hwy 70 Traffic Patterns for Portola Expected in October

PORTOLA — Local residents and travelers on Highway 70 have been wondering whether and when changes to highway traffic flow through Portola, proposed in August 2024, will actually take place.

The plan put forward by Caltrans and endorsed by the Portola City Council would retain a center turn lane and parking on both sides of the road, but would reduce the number of through traffic lanes from four to two and add buffered bike lanes on both sides.

However, the road striping applied after new pavement was laid last fall retained the previous configuration with four traffic lanes, and while work on the highway has continued in other areas, the road stripes in Portola have largely worn off, resulting in confusion about where to drive.

In response to an email inquiry, Caltrans Project Manager Azeddine Bahloul said, “The proposed plan to restripe the road through the City of Portola is going to happen as planned,” but the work is now expected to be done by the end of October.