A $1.8 billion to $2.2 billion plan would add HOV and express bus lanes to US 101 between Thousand Oaks and Ventura. Construction could begin in 2031.

The Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) will hold a public hearing at the Camarillo Library Community Room, 4101 Las Posas Rd., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. It is one of five hearings scheduled across the county in November as the agency collects public input on the project's Draft Environmental Impact Report.

The draft document enters public circulation on Wednesday, Sept. 30, and comments will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7.

What the project would do

The US 101 Improvement Project covers 26.8 miles of freeway from Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks to State Route 33 in Ventura. Some segments have not had significant upgrades since the 1960s, according to a VCTC presentation delivered Friday, Sept. 11, by Amanda Fagan, VCTC's director of planning and sustainability.

The corridor has three general-purpose lanes in each direction and no HOV or carpool lanes. About half of Ventura County's jobs and residences sit along the corridor, and 58% of corridor trips stay within it. No continuous alternate route exists.

VCTC projects that without improvements, daily delay on the corridor will rise 54% by 2040.

Two build options

The draft environmental document studies three alternatives. Alternative 1 is a no-build baseline.

Alternative 2, estimated at $1.8 billion, would add an HOV/express bus lane in each direction and auxiliary lanes. It would convert the existing inside lane between Vineyard Avenue and Victoria Avenue to make room for a standard-width HOV lane and inside shoulder without widening the Santa Clara River bridge. It would require widening other freeway bridges and some property acquisition.

Alternative 3, at $2.2 billion, adds design variations that minimize hillside impact on the Conejo Grade and extend a southbound auxiliary lane at Dawson Drive. It would also maintain all existing general-purpose lanes between Vineyard and Victoria by restriping inside lanes and shoulders.

Both options would improve 14 intersections and achieve Level of Service D or better, meaning noticeable but manageable congestion, on freeway segments. Alternative 2 would cut projected 2040 vehicle hours of delay by about 53%, while Alternative 3 would cut them by about 63%, according to VCTC's analysis.

Induced demand and mitigation

The project is projected to generate about 36.7 million additional annual vehicle miles traveled, a 0.7% increase, because of induced demand. To offset that, VCTC has committed roughly $243 million for multimodal projects in the corridor, including bike and pedestrian infrastructure, mobility hubs, transit and vanpool programs and affordable workforce housing, according to a VCTC staff memo dated Wednesday, Aug. 19.

In June 2023, the California Transportation Commission approved $74.8 million from the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program for four multimodal projects in Camarillo, Oxnard and Ventura tied to the same corridor. VCTC Executive Director Martin Erickson said in June 2023, when the funding was approved, that it was "a critical piece of the effort to create more multimodal transportation options for travelers in the Highway 101 corridor through Ventura County and beyond."

Funding and timeline

VCTC has $218 million programmed so far: $133 million from the State Transportation Improvement Program, set for fiscal year 2031, and $85 million in federal Surface Transportation Block Grant funds. The agency is pursuing additional state and federal grants.

Construction is anticipated to begin in 2031 and would be phased over 20 years, according to the VCTC budget for fiscal year 2026–2027. VCTC plans to select a locally preferred alternative in winter 2026 and finalize the environmental document in 2027.

How to weigh in

Written comments can be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to Susan Tse Koo, senior environmental scientist, Caltrans Division of Environmental Planning, 100 South Main St., MS 16A, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Include "US 101 HOV EIR/EA" in the subject line. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7.