Golf Course Two Way Left Turn Lane
Draft Initial Study with Proposed Negative Declaration
Environmental Process
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has prepared this Initial Study (IS) with Proposed Negative Declaration, which examines the potential environmental impacts of the proposed Golf Course Two-Way Left Turn Lane I project located in and near the town of Bishop, situated within Inyo County, California. Caltrans is the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act as well as the National Environmental Policy Act. This document explains why the project is being proposed, the existing environment that could be affected by the project, potential impacts of each of the alternatives, and the proposed avoidance and minimization measures.
Purpose and Need for the project:
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to improve the safety and operational efficiency of a segment of U.S. Route 395 (from postmiles 114.00 to 114.90) for motorists attempting to access several cross streets from the opposing side of the four-lane highway. The project is located just south of the City of Bishop in Inyo County.
Need: There are approximately two driveways and two cross-streets intersecting the highway within the proposed limits of the two-way left turn lane (postmiles 114.00 to 114.40). This project is needed because vehicles on U.S. Route 395 attempting to access one of these locations via a left turn must attempt to do so from the number one lane (fast lane) of the highway. Current posted speed limits within the project limits range from 65 to 45 miles per hour. Vehicles making left turns from the number one lane often need to slow to a near or complete stop to yield to oncoming traffic in the opposing lanes before making a left turn. Through motorists traveling in the number one lane at the posted speed limits either need to slow and yield behind those turning left or change lanes to pass stopped or decelerating vehicles waiting to turn left.
Recorded traffic collision data for this segment of U.S. Route 395 between postmiles 114.00 and 114.90 disclose a total of sixteen traffic collisions over a nine-year period (from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2021). The traffic collision rate for the project limits is above the national average for for total collisions per million vehicle miles
Please read the environmental document. It can be accessed electronically here: Golf Course Two-Way Left Turn Lane I
Hard or disc copies of this IS and related technical studies are available upon request from Caltrans via email to Ryan.Spaulding@dot.ca.gov.
No public meeting is currently planned for this project, but you do have the opportunity to request one.
We’d would like to hear what you think. If you have comments regarding the proposed project, or would like to request a meeting, please see the "Submit Comments" tab above.
For individuals with sensory disabilities, this document can be made available in Braille, in large print, on audiocassette, or on computer disk. To obtain a copy in one of these alternate formats, please write to or call Caltrans, Attention: Ryan Spaulding, Associate Environmental Planner, California Department of Transportation, 500 South Main Street, Bishop, California 93514; 760-937-1556 (Voice), or use the California Relay Service 1-800-735-2922 (Voice to TTY), 1-800-855-3000 (Spanish TTY to Voice and Voice to TTY), or 711.
