Bair

BACKGROUND

As described in greater detail in the prior appellate opinion, the park is home to massive old growth redwood trees that are 300 feet tall and

2 thousands of years old, many of which are immediately adjacent to the approximately one-mile stretch of U.S. Route 101 that passes through it. (Lotus, supra, 223 Cal.App.4th at p. 648.) That portion of the highway is a narrow, tightly curving two-lane road that does not meet current design standards. (Ibid.) The highway project is designed to reconfigure that one- mile segment to improve vehicular safety and accommodate a class of industry standard-sized trucks that are currently prohibited from using the highway, due to their size. (Ibid.) Caltrans initially certified the EIR and approved the highway project on May 18, 2010. (Lotus, supra, 223 Cal.App.4th at p. 648.) It concluded the project would have no significant environmental impacts. (Id. at pp. 648-649, 651.) The 15-year litigation odyssey that has ensued is about as labyrinthine as the root systems of the redwood trees themselves. 2 On June 10, 2010, several local residents and environmental groups 3 filed a petition for writ of mandate and injunctive relief…