Highway 101 is the north-south backbone of interregional and subregional circulation in SLO County. It runs for 69 miles from the Santa Barbara county line to the Monterey county line, crossing the Santa Lucia Mountain Range at the approximate mid-point of the county on Cuesta Pass. Highway 101 is a four lane facility throughout most of the county, with the exception of the six-lane segment over the Cuesta Pass, which has a grade in excess of 7 percent. Highway 101 accommodates interregional, regional, and local traffic and provides a direct link between six of the seven incorporated cities in the county. Trip purposes along the corridor include personal mobility relating to business and government activities, recreation, tourism, and journey to work. The corridor also accommodates goods movement related to commerce and manufacturing, and trucks moving freight, agricultural products, hazardous materials, and livestock.
Studies on the Corridor:
U.S. 101 San Luis Obispo to Santa Maria Multimodal Corridor Plan
The U.S. 101 MCP is a collaboration between Caltrans District 5, SLOCOG, and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments. The plan will analyze U.S. 101, State Route 227, and the local road networks between Santa Maria and Santa Margarita to discover ways to relieve congestion and improve mobility. The plan seeks to make the existing transportation system more efficient, improve multimodal travel opportunities, and enhance safety. Corridor plans will be a key requirement to secure grant funding in the coming years.
Topics addressed in the multimodal corridor plan include:
- Regional and Interregional Safety
- Congestion
- Accessibility
- Connectivity
- Active Transportation
- Healthier Communities
- Goods Movement
- Economic Development
- Land Use Efficiency
- Air Quality and Emissions Reduction
Download the Final Plan and Appendices >>
If you have any comments or ideas to share contact Kelly McClendon, Caltrans District 5 Senior Transportation Planner, at [email protected].
2014 US 101 Mobility Study
SLOCOG has sponsored and/or participated in various studies along the corridor for improving access, mobility, and movement throughout the region. The recently completed US 101 Corridor Mobility Master Plan evaluates the US 101 corridor countywide to identify the top regional priorities for multimodal improvements and funding strategies. It was a regional effort to help establish capital project priorities that meets the needs of SLOCOG, the local agencies, and Caltrans. The US 101 Corridor Mobility Master Plan examines the current conditions, identifies key transportation deficiencies, and analyzes potential improvements on and adjacent to the US 101 Corridor through the San Luis Obispo Region. The master plan used Smart Mobility framework to develop performance based measures to evaluate the corridor and planned improvements using appropriate performance measures.
FULL SLOCOG US 101 Mobility Study Final (Adopted December 2014)
US 101 Mobility Study Addendum
The US 101 Corridor Mobility Master Plan Addendum reflects the latest project and analysis information developed for several advancing projects and ensures that this information is consistent with the latest State planning guidelines governing corridor studies including:
- Corridor Planning Guidebook (Caltrans, 2018);
- Comprehensive Multimodal Corridor Plan Guidelines (California Transportation Commission, 2018); and,
- SB-1 Accountability and Transparency Guidelines (California Transportation Commission, 2018).
2016 US 101 Central Coast CA Freight Strategy
The Central Coast relies on U.S. 101 as the primary transportation artery for the region and the area’s major truck route. While a highly efficient freight route, the route experiences a number of issues including congestion, safety issues, lack of modal alternatives, truck parking shortages, limited east-west connectivity and other issues that impact mobility of shippers and receivers who support the region’s economy.
This study provides a list of priority strategies that can be used to address the most pressing goods movement problems along the U.S. 101 corridor in the Central Coast. Improvements are multimodal and include projects and programs that address intersecting highways as well as rail infrastructure. Specific funding and implementation strategies are suggested to provide guidance to implementing these strategies.
Click here for the report and appendices >>
Below are additional links to various studies and reports for this corridor.