NORTH COAST, Calif. – Caltrans has begun work on a safety improvement road construction on State Route 20, near Road 200A (mile markers 16.8 to 17.2), located south of Dunlap Pass and north of Big River Campground.

Crews have begun obliterating the existing asphalt roadway by pulverizing the existing surface. During the excavation, the roads will be pulverized and traffic will be running on graveled surfaces.

Upon completion of the construction of the new roadway alignment, new asphalt pavement will be installed.

A new roadway alignment will consist of 3450 tons of new asphalt concrete pavement, of which 2110 square yards of recycled asphalt are incorporated into the new structural section of the roadway.

Work started this week and is expected to continue through the beginning of August. The work schedule is Monday through Saturday, with crews working 12-hour shifts.

Lane closures will be in effect. Flaggers will be directing traffic 24 hours per day. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays. Weather or other unexpected events could delay the schedule.

Caltrans asks motorists to drive safely and slowly through this construction zone.

Caltrans District 1 maintains the state highways in Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, and Lake counties.

The department issues updates about road conditions on Twitter and on Facebook. For real-time traffic information, go to QuickMap or download the free Caltrans QuickMap app from the App Store or Google Play.