Highway 70 to be widened

One of the deadliest roads in the North State, Highway 70, will soon be widened to five lanes from Oroville to Marysville, having received nearly $500 million in funding as of March 22, according to Butte County Association of Governments Executive Director Jon Clark.

About $165 million, awarded by the California Transportation Commission, will be applied to Butte County, widening the route from Ophir Road south of Oroville to the Butte County line, with construction beginning in spring 2020.

The road will include a center turn lane and 8-foot shoulders. There will be a 9-mile gap from the county line to Laurellen Road that will be two lanes with a center turn lane until an additional nearly $36 million in federal funding can be secured, Clark said.

Accidents have claimed 35 lives along the stretch from Oroville to Marysville since 2010, including 13 in 2017 alone.