Caltrans completes Highway 46 and State Route 41 interchange
Interchange officially opens to traffic today
– Caltrans, local officials, and community members gathered yesterday near Cholame in northern San Luis Obispo County to celebrate the completion of the Highway 46 East and State Route 41 interchange project.
The new interchange includes a flyover ramp that allows travelers to safely transition from eastbound Highway 46 to northbound State Route 41. This grade-separated ramp enhances traffic flow and improves safety for travelers at this major regional intersection. The flyover ramp also includes transition ramps to westbound and eastbound Highway 46.
The interchange officially opens to traffic today, June 12. Travelers on Highway 46 East will encounter two-way traffic on the new westbound lanes near the interchange until the eastbound lanes are completed later this summer.
“The completion of this interchange is a landmark moment in the history of our widening within this corridor. This interchange will greatly enhance safety for all travelers who arrive on the Central Coast. I am overjoyed to see this important component of our work completed,” said Caltrans District 5 Director Scott Eades.
The interchange is part of a larger phased project to widen Highway 46 East from a two-lane highway to a four-lane expressway, stretching from east of the Shandon Rest Area to east of Davis Road. The first segment of widening began near Paso Robles in 2008. The next phase of widening Highway 46 East at the Antelope Grade is expected to begin construction in spring 2027.
