■Highway 41 detours to and from the Central Coast will use State Route 198 and I-5.

■Starting Monday, Feb. 26, an 8-mile stretch of 41 between Stratford and Kettleman City will be closed.

■Work began on Feb. 6 to replace the Kings River Bridge in Stratford.

Two projects to repair Fresno’s popular route to Central Coast beaches will require detours for drivers for nearly half of 2024.

Starting Monday, Feb. 26, a roughly 8-mile stretch of Highway 41 between Stratford and Kettleman City will be repaved, according to Alex Aguilera, public information officer for Caltrans.

Crews had noticed large cracks in the pavement that needed fixing, Aguilera said. Caltrans expects the road to be closed for five months.

A detour will take drivers around the work via State Route 198 and Interstate 5.

Bridge Replacement at Stratford

Workers began replacing the Stratford Kings River Bridge on Feb. 6. Engineers noticed cracks and deteriorating pillars beneath the bridge, requiring a full replacement.

Caltrans closed a 2-mile stretch between Lincoln and 22nd avenues. Crews expect the work to last six months. The same SR-198 to I-5 detour will bypass the work.

How Long Before Highway 41 Near Easton Is Widened?

Car accidents and deaths throughout the years along a dangerous stretch of Highway 41 are spurring Caltrans to widen 7 miles of the highway from Elkhorn to Excelsior avenues.

The project is currently on schedule as planners design what the highway will look like. Planners expect to finish the designs in summer and begin work in winter. They expect construction to be completed by winter 2026. The project is fully funded, according to a Caltrans spokesperson.