New Times: What work is being done on Highway 101?

Shivers: Well, this is a $17 million project that involves a grinding and rolled paving of the 101 in both directions. It also involves a repaving and widening of several on-ramps in SLO. Basically a rehabilitation of the 101, which is heavily used not just by locals but also by commuters from all over the state. We are obligated to go through time to time because of such heavy use.

New Times: What stretch?

Shivers: South Higuera to Reservoir Canyon Road, basically at the base of Cuesta Grade, a little bit north of Monterey Street.

New Times: What hours of the day are crews working?

Shivers: Most of it is done during the overnight hours so we’re not interrupting anyone’s commute, keeping them from important meetings or interfering with the movement of goods and services. The actual hours are 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. overnight on Sundays, and Monday through Thursdays, 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. And that’s pretty standard for anything we do because of the volume of traffic.

New Times: What are the expected delays during hours of work?

Shivers: Because it’s overnight and the traffic load goes way down, it should be no more than 5 minutes of total delays. We’re talking about a very minimal delay. This is not a full closure; one lane will remain open at all times.

New Times: Do you have any words of advice for commuters during these hours?

Shivers: Boy, with the safety of motorists being important and of course the safety of our Caltrans employees, my advice is to be aware of electronic message boards, lane closure signs and other cars slowing down. We ask people just to be aware and use a little extra caution whenever they’re passing a construction zone so workers can all go home when the work is done.

New Times: Are there any other projects planned over the summer?

Shivers: The only other job is they will be paving Broad Street. This includes a good portion of Broad, from south of the airport to South Street and the completion date is November of this year.