A New Pedestrian Bridge Aims to Improve Safety and Cultural Connection
A group of California representatives have recently announced a significant investment of $2.5 million in federal funds to design and construct a pedestrian bridge over Highway 101 on tribal lands in northernmost California. This initiative, which combines both a functional bridge and a cultural monument gateway, is intended to address a long-standing issue of safety at a hazardous intersection area on Highway 101 through Smith River.
According to a news release from the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, the proposed project aims to improve access for North Coast residents, tribal citizens, and visitors. Scott Graves, a spokesperson for the tribe, highlighted that the area has a decades-long history of close calls and several pedestrian accidents involving non-fatal incidents. He emphasized the importance of this project in making the crossing safer for everyone.
The pedestrian bridge would span the highway near the Lucky 7 Casino & Hotel, just under 5 miles from the Oregon-California border. Sadie Wheeler, who works at a gas station near the proposed site, shared her perspective on the need for better traffic mitigation. She mentioned that drivers often ignore the crosswalk, leaving pedestrians waiting for someone to stop.
U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, along with Representative Jared Huffman, jointly announced the project, which is funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed under former President Joe Biden. Huffman noted that the tribe was leading the effort to complete the bridge.
According to OpenSecrets, members of the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation have contributed at least $10,000 to Huffman over several campaign cycles since 2014, while also supporting Padilla and Schiff in smaller amounts. The $2,499,000 award will allow for preliminary design and final engineering to construct the Gateway Monument Pedestrian Bridge. The tribe plans to collaborate with cultural advisers and community members to incorporate Tolowa Dee-ni’ language and art into the bridge’s design.
Graves explained that the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation wants to make the crossing safer not only for accessing the casino but also for reaching services, offices, and the Head Start education facility. Officer Pete Gonzalez of the California Highway Patrol mentioned that they have already taken steps to enhance safety on Highway 101 in the area, including adding cautionary notices to the 45 mph speed limit and repairing the shoulder.
Gonzalez reviewed incident reports on Highway 101 near the casino and found two pedestrian-related crashes in the past decade, including one in 2023 that was not fatal. He added that nearby Highway 199 is more prone to car crashes.
Related Stories
- Food: A San Francisco bakery finds an unusual solution to neighbors complaining about its long lines.
- Local: Hundreds of millionaires are trying to escape the US.
- National Parks: I tried living the park ranger fantasy and spent most of it picking up garbage.
- Travel: The California town that rose and died in 2 years.
Get ‘s top stories sent to your inbox by signing up for The Daily newsletter here. Subscribe to receive The Daily, ‘s free newsletter bringing you the best of the Bay Area. Read this story on.