California officials are in a race against time to prevent a critical stretch of coastal highway from collapsing into the Pacific Ocean—an outcome that could isolate an entire region in the state’s far north.
A cliffside portion of U.S. Highway 101 between Eureka and Crescent City has long been plagued by erosion, landslides, and costly short-term fixes. The narrow and unstable section, known as “Last Chance Grade,” has already been reduced to a single lane in places and is notorious for rockslides and storm-related closures.
Now, after years of monitoring and piecemeal repairs, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) says the only viable long-term solution is a massive $2.1 billion tunnel project that would bypass the landslide-prone cliffs entirely.
If built, the proposed 6,000-foot tunnel would become the longest in California’s history, tunneling through solid rock to provide a stable route for this vital north-south corridor. But the project faces an enormous funding gap and a lengthy timeline, with construction not expected to begin until 2030 and completion projected for 2039.
“We’re really racing against time,” Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), who represents the remote coastal district, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “This is a lifeline for the region.”
The California Transportation Commission recently approved $40 million to move the project into the design phase. That’s part of a broader $275 million commitment by Caltrans for planning and engineering work. But with a state budget deficit of $12 billion, finding the remaining $2.1 billion needed for construction is a tall order.
Lobbyist Gregory Burns, who represents Del Norte County in Washington, D.C., called the funding gap a “delta we’re going to have to deal with,” and said the region is counting on federal help.
There is precedent for such assistance: in 2013, the federal government funded twin tunnels through Devil’s Slide near Pacifica under similar emergency relief provisions. Huffman is hoping for another “mega-grant” to do the same here, but acknowledges that the project will need to survive multiple presidential administrations to stay on track.
The stakes are high. A total failure of the Last Chance Grade would force a 450-mile detour between Klamath and Crescent City. In 2021, a landslide closed the road for months, forcing residents—including schoolchildren—to endure an eight-hour detour.
“It was devastating for our community,” said Cindy Vosburg, director of the Crescent City Chamber of Commerce.
California has struggled with big-ticket infrastructure projects before. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently pulled $4 billion in federal funding from the California High-Speed Rail project, citing chronic delays and cost overruns.
“After over a decade of failures, CHSRA’s mismanagement and incompetence has proven it cannot build its train to nowhere on time or on budget,” Duffy said in a statement. “It’s time for this boondoggle to die.”
President Donald Trump celebrated the decision on Truth Social, calling Governor Gavin Newsom “incompetent” and saying his administration had “saved taxpayers billions.”
Newsom, however, has vowed to fight the federal cut, calling it illegal. The California High-Speed Rail Authority has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles challenging the funding termination as “arbitrary and capricious.”
As that legal fight plays out, attention now turns to Northern California’s crumbling coastline, where officials are racing the clock—and the ocean—to avoid a disaster.
