Ruling good news for Caltrans’ Willits bypass work

A Mendocino County judge on Monday denied environmentalists’ request to extend a court order preventing the excavation of dirt slated for use on the Willits bypass.

It’s good news for Caltrans, but it may not save the agency from a yearlong, multimillion-dollar delay that was anticipated when the initial, temporary restraining order was issued Aug. 20.

“The year delay is still likely, but we are working with our contractor to attempt to move enough fill this season to avoid it,” said Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie.

One of Caltrans’ permits prohibits soil from being moved after Oct. 15 to avoid muddy runoff into streams should it rain. It’s unlikely that sufficient soil - about 300,000 cubic yards or hundreds of truckloads - can be in place and compacted in time to start building the three bridges Caltrans planned to construct next year, he said. The soil needs to settle for about six months before the bridge work can begin, Frisbie said.

Caltrans is considering applying for a time extension on the permit, he said.

The environmental groups seeking the injunction said they have not yet decided how to proceed.

“We have to confer,” said ?Ellen Drell of the Willits Environmental Center, one of several groups attempting to slow progress on the bypass.

The bypass is about 40 percent complete, but the groups still hold hope they can reduce its impact on Willits-area wetlands by convincing Caltrans to reduce the project’s size. The ?$210 million, 5.9-mile bypass initially will be just two lanes, but its supports are being constructed to eventually accommodate four lanes.

The injunction request and its accompanying lawsuit names Mendocino Forest Products, which is conducting the excavation along with a logging operation, and the county of Mendocino, which granted the permit to do the work. The lawsuit alleges inadequate environmental review was conducted prior to the permit being granted.

But its primary aim is halting work on the bypass, Judge ?Cindee Mayfield noted in her denial of the injunction. She said her decision included weighing the potential damage to the environmental groups against the damage to Caltrans.

She noted that the Willits bypass has been plagued by expensive delays, including the lawsuit and the recent temporary restraining order.

“The court finds time is of the essence,” she said.

Another year delay would cost taxpayers more than ?$8 million, Frisbie said. The costs include expensive construction contract changes and extensions, he said.

Protests and permit problems already have cost about $12 million in delays, Frisbie said.

The bypass has been controversial and prone to challenges since work began early last year.

Opponents say it is unnecessary, too large and unduly destructive to wetlands and buried tribal artifacts in the Little Lake Valley outside of Willits.

Proponents say it is necessary to reduce traffic congestion and the pollution it causes.

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MendoReporter