The California Transportation Commission on an unspecified meeting date approved a $64,700,000 supplemental allocation to complete the Willits Bypass, a roughly 5.9-mile highway project near Willits in central Mendocino County that Caltrans says is about 55% complete and two years behind schedule.

The allocation, presented under agenda item 21 after an informational update under item 20, passed unanimously after commissioners debated cost increases, traffic-safety design choices and Caltrans’ handling of cultural-resource issues. Commissioner Arp moved the staff recommendation; Commissioner Tablioni seconded, and the measure passed without recorded opposition.

The vote follows a lengthy Caltrans presentation on project delays and a level‑3 quantitative risk assessment supporting the supplemental request. Charlie Fielder, Caltrans District 1 director for the North Coast, said the project has experienced multiple issues that increased costs and required rebaselining, and that Caltrans will continue risk‑management work and mitigation planning. Rich Foley, a Caltrans risk‑management specialist, described a facilitated level‑3 assessment that quantified the probability and cost impact of identified risks and produced the risk curve underpinning the funding ask.

The Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo raised substantive concerns during public comment. Lee Closs, identified as representing the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo tribal council and the tribe’s “bridal council,” told the commission the tribe is a recognized consulting party under the National Historic Preservation Act and said Caltrans’ briefing materials mischaracterized archaeological findings. “There have been no burial sites found on the Willits Bypass project,” Closs said. Closs added that Caltrans’ earlier approach to cultural resources had been “pathological noncompliance” and accused the agency of “recalcitrance, concealment, and contrary attitude toward tribal concerns.” The tribe asked the commission, should it fund the request, to direct Caltrans to obligate at least 1% of the supplemental allocation to Section 106 compliance and to fund tribal monitoring and mitigation under a programmatic agreement.

Caltrans officials responded that the department understands there have been no human remains recovered within the project limits and that the phrasing in the book item was not intended to inflate archaeological significance. A Caltrans representative told the commission the agency is meeting regularly with the tribe, will continue tribal monitoring on the contract, and is negotiating a programmatic agreement with the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo to address impacts associated with the northern interchange.

Commissioners also discussed design and safety tradeoffs. Commissioner Arp questioned whether an interchange could be replaced with a roundabout to reduce wetland impacts and cost; Caltrans said a multi‑lane roundabout raised safety concerns on U.S. 101 and that most of the northern interchange footprint has already been impacted, so elimination would yield minimal savings. Commissioners pressed Caltrans on the 50% confidence level attached to the requested figure, and Caltrans officials said a higher confidence level would require a larger allocation and that the department would use mitigation strategies identified in the risk plan to better manage cost exposure.

The commission also approved formation of a small commissioner committee to work with Caltrans on project delivery and cost‑overrun issues. Commissioner Madaffer moved and Commissioner Tablioni seconded a motion to form a committee consisting of Commissioners Alvarado, Gilmetti, Madaffer and Usimme; the motion passed unanimously after a failed amendment to exclude Commissioner Arp. The commission chair said the committee will work with Caltrans on delivery challenges prior to full‑commission consideration.

Clarifying details discussed during the item include: the project length (about 5.9 miles), status (about 55% complete), an approximate two‑year schedule delay, an increase request of $64,700,000, a level‑3 quantitative risk assessment with a stated 50% confidence level in the rebaselined estimate, and the tribe’s statement that the project currently involves 31 archaeological sites that require work. Caltrans said mitigation work on fish passage and wetlands (including a permit modification requiring mitigation on two forks of Bridal Creek) contributed to cost increases, and indicated an additional mitigation allocation request will likely come back to the commission in mid‑year when numbers are refined.

What the commission approved were project‑level funding and the creation of a commissioner–level delivery committee; the commission does not direct Caltrans to allocate funds to specific line items or to obligate a defined percentage to tribal monitoring. As Vice Chair Dunne noted during the discussion, the commission’s authority is to allocate funds to the project; the department determines discrete expenditures within the project budget.

The commission’s action restarts the project baseline with the supplemental allocation and ongoing Caltrans commitments to tribal consultation, monitoring, and a programmatic agreement to address cultural‑resource mitigation.

Ending: Caltrans said it will return with more detailed mitigation cost estimates and that the newly formed commissioner committee will work with the department to improve project delivery and risk management going forward.