CHP: 55 mph speed limit on 101 remains in force

The CHP is putting Highway 101 drivers in central Santa Rosa on alert: The speed limit there will remain 55 mph.

Highway 101 speed typically is 65 mph, but the limit through the city center was dropped to 55 mph during the lengthy highway widening project.

The majority of the work, mainly adding a lane in each direction recently finished.

"Now with the nice, smooth paved lanes, naturally people want to go faster," said CHP Sgt. Robert Mota. "But there's still congestion and lots of on- and offramps in the area."

"We're going to keep it at 55. It's a safety factor," Mota said.

The reduced-speed area stretches about two miles, from south of the Highway 12 interchange to north of Steele Lane, near the Sonoma County Jail.

Mota said Caltrans soon will put up more signs to better advertise the ongoing 55 mph limit.

A dump truck crash on the highway near downtown Tuesday afternoon apparently occurred when the truck driver came upon slowed traffic and ran into two stopped cars.

The truck tipped over and spilled diesel fuel. Roads had to be closed, resulting in a massive traffic tie-up. No one was seriously injured.

Whether speed was an issue remains under investigation, but if all drivers in the area reduced their speed to the lower limit, it would help, Mota said.

"If they slow down, it will give people a little more time to make decisions and avoid a collision," he said.

He said officers will be told to focus on the area and to be ready to ticket speeders.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat

.com.