New Welcome Monument to Greet Travelers in Fortuna

Published: Oct 18, 2024

FORTUNA- Drivers through Fortuna will soon notice a new welcome monument and refurbished concrete islands near the Main Street connector ramps to U.S. Highway 101 thanks to a grant from the Clean California initiative.

Yesterday Caltrans and its partners at the City of Fortuna broke ground on the Clean California Fortuna Gateway Project, aimed at enhancing the aesthetics and functionality of a key entry point in the city.

The project focuses on revitalizing two prominent concrete islands, which are currently marred by cracked surfaces and overgrown with unwanted vegetation. They will be transformed through the installation of modern hardscaping and drought-tolerant plants. A new welcome monument will also be constructed.

By removing the deteriorated concrete and replacing it with sustainable, low-maintenance landscaping, the project seeks to beautify one of Fortuna's busiest gateways, improving the experience for travelers entering and exiting the city.

"Improving the aesthetics of this important northern gateway has been a community desire and a city goal for decades," said City of Fortuna Community Development Director Shai Meads. "Funding provided by the Clean California Initiative will allow the much-anticipated rehabilitation of these two barren medians, providing a sense of community pride as well as a welcoming and appreciative feel as folks come and go from the city."

The total cost of the project is estimated at $387,800, reflecting Caltrans' commitment to creating cleaner, more inviting public spaces as part of the statewide Clean California initiative.

Since launching Clean California in July 2021, Caltrans and its local partners have collected more than 2.7 million cubic yards of litter - enough to cover nine lanes of Interstate 5 with trash from San Diego to the Canadian border. This substantially increased the department's previous trash collection efforts and can largely be attributed to Clean California, along with other Caltrans litter removal efforts.

Caltrans has hosted more than 600 free dump days in communities throughout the state - resulting in the collection of 14,000-plus mattresses and 52,000 tires. The initiative has enlisted more than 60,000 community clean-up volunteers and created 18,267 jobs, including positions for individuals who were formerly incarcerated, on probation, or experiencing housing insecurity.

For more information, visit CleanCA.com.

Media Contact: [email protected]

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