Capay Valley Coalition (CVC) is a community organization committed to agricultural viability and safety in western Yolo County. We would appreciate your support and donations to pay for our legal effort. Checks may be sent to: Capay Valley Coalition, P.O.Box 894, Esparto,CA 95627

Citizens Win Suit !!!

The Capay Valley Coalition and the Yolo County Farm Bureau have successfully challenged Caltrans’ Environmental Impact Report on Caltrans’ proposed expansion of Highway 16 between I-505 and the Cache Creek Casino in Brooks.

Caltrans failed to provide substantial evidence as to the need for the project. Conclusions as to need were based on raw data that was not disclosed in the EIR. There was also inconsistency in that Caltrans analyzed one segment of the project separately but evaluated the remaining five together.
Caltrans failed to support their conclusions regarding impacts to agriculture. The large scope of the project would remove 166 acres from agriculture. Also a plan to raise a portion of the highway above the floodplain failed to consider how farm equipment would access the adjacent fields.
Caltrans failed to analyze a reasonable range of feasible alternatives for the project. The Court found only one to be adequately addressed in the EIR. Two others – "spot improvements" and "reduced shoulder width" had been rejected but not fully analyzed.
Caltrans did not adequately respond to the public’s comments. The Court specifically cited responses to the Farm Bureau’s request for more information as inadequate.

Several other issues were cited. For the complete ruling by Judge Kenny click here.

Caltrans must now rewrite those portions of the EIR in question, circulate a new draft EIR, receive public comments, and formulate responses before issuing another final EIR.

The Capay Valley Coalition contends that a high speed, 2 lane road as proposed by Caltrans would be less safe than current conditions. The number of accidents on Highway 16 have significantly decreased in the years since the highway project was first proposed. This has happened, in part, due to a decrease in speeds on the present roadway and various spot improvements made by Caltrans.

The Coalition supports spot improvements and increased shoulder width where appropriate with consideration given to the towns of Capay and Esparto (which Caltrans omitted from Caltrans’ project). The Coalition continues to oppose the massive project proposed by Caltrans that would take numerous homes and 166 acres of farmland. The Coalition also opposes the use of eminent domain for this road project – which has been threatened on several occasions.

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