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The Jefferson Exchange

Nixing Road Work Along The Sensitive Smith

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Graham Hughes/Wild California

The Redwood Highway through California's Smith River canyon provides jaw-dropping scenic views.

And it's a bit of a bear to drive. 

So the state of California made plans to widen some of the tightest sections of the highway. 

Cue the controversy: those sections are tight because of the steepness of the canyon walls.  The Center for Biological Diversity and other groups objected to the widening project as harmful to the river, and a judge agreed. 

The work is postponed, at least until another court hearing in November. 

We hear an update from the plaintiffs.  

 

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Geoffrey Riley is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has hosted the Jefferson Exchange on JPR since 2009. He's been a broadcaster in the Rogue Valley for more than 35 years, working in both television and radio.