Federal lawsuit challenges plan to expand Highway 101 through California redwoods region

Environmentalists have asked a federal court to block a controversial plan to straighten and widen a highway through a remote California state park so that large commercial trucks can have a direct route from southern California to Oregon.

The lawsuit alleges that the California Department of Transportation violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act when it approved the project, which will cause the destruction of some old-growth redwood trees in Richardson Grove State Park.

“We are determined not to let this protected grove of old-growth redwoods and the endangered species that depend on them be cut into for the sake of letting a few more over-sized trucks speed through the grove,” Peter Galvin, a spokesperson for the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the plaintiffs, said. “Caltrans should scrap this misguided project, which has been opposed by dozens of groups, local business owners, scientists, elected representatives and tens of thousands of concerned citizens.”

Up to 72 old growth trees could be killed as a result of construction activities that cut their roots. CalTrans acknowledged, in an environmental assessment, that "adverse effects to old-growth trees may be a significant impact to this unique natural community.” Nevertheless, the agency determined that the widening and re-alignment of U.S. Highway 101 would have "no significant environmental impact."

Advocates for the road expansion say that increased access for trucks is necessary to improve economic conditions in remote Humboldt County.

The project was proposed in 2007. Smaller commercial trucks can already travel through the state park.

Large commercial trucks, on the other hand, are not permitted within the boundaries of the preserve. They must travel an extra 448 miles to make the trip between the San Francisco Bay area and the northern California town of Eureka. The additional mileage is caused by a detour into Oregon and then a return south.

Richardson Grove State Park provides habitat for a variety of endangered and threatened species, including the northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet, and several runs of salmon and steelhead.

The park is popular with tourists. The old-growth redwoods within its boundaries are among the few protected in the country.

The lawsuit is the second one against the project. A state court challenge was filed in June, alleging that the transportation agency violated California law.