Emergency Culvert Work To Slow Traffic On Stockton Street

Published Nov 4, 2026 6:39 pm

Flaggers directing traffic—Photo by BJ Hansen

Sonora, CA – Emergency culvert work in Sonora will slow traffic toward the end of the week and run into next month, forcing commuters to find an alternate route.

Caltrans has hired Wylatti Resource Management, Inc., of Covelo, to conduct the $1.2 million project on Highway 49/Stockton Street to improve drainage and address a partially collapsed 150-year-old culvert.

“The project will replace an existing culvert on the south side of the highway and upgrade drainage inlets, increasing drainage capacity and allowing the old, partially collapsed culvert under the highway to be safely decommissioned,” stated Caltrans officials.

Flaggers will direct shifting lane traffic on Stockton Street. Shift north between Green Street and the Downtown Plaza starting at 5 p.m. on Friday, November 6, for construction. Culvert work will take place on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., while lane shifts will remain throughout. Motorists
can expect 5-to-10-minute delays and are asked to use alternate routes whenever
possible. Caltrans officials provided these impacts for motorists, pedestrians,
and transit riders:

• All on-street parking within the project area will be closed.
• The sidewalk on the south side of the road will be closed. Pedestrians will be detoured to the north side of SR-49.
• The bus stop on the south side of SR-49 will be relocated to the front of the Bank of America at the corner of Stockton Street and Washington Street.
• Traffic patterns will be modified to accommodate construction activities.
• Before construction, survey work will take place on November 5 and 6, requiring one-way traffic control from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Caltrans officials added, “This project has been expedited under Governor Gavin Newsom’s emergency proclamation supporting statewide El Niño preparedness efforts, including critical infrastructure improvements. The project is expected to finish in early December.”