Leaving a Mendocino County town in the dust

A bicycle rider makes his way through Willits. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Aug. 16, 2013 5:11 PM PT

Caltrans has been pressing for decades for a bypass that would route traffic on Highway 101 around the town of Willits, Calif., rather than through it. But the massive four-lane bypass now under construction has met with fierce opposition because of the environmental effects -- including drainage of wetlands -- and fear of a loss of tourism.

Liam Osborne, left, his grandmother Cynthia Geddes and sister Elizabeth wait outside Adam’s restaurant on Main Street, U.S. Highway 101. At far left is Willits resident Ron Lippert. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Pedestrians make their way past a business on Main Street. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Nick Durupt, clothing manager for J.D. Redhouse & Co., a store on Main Street, is against the planned bypass because he thinks it will hurt the local economy. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

A motorist travels past the Lumberjack Restaurant on Main Street. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

The site of the four-lane freeway bypass. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Chris Boblitt, heavy-equipment operator for Caltrans, carries rolls of preformed vertical drain at the bypass site. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Wick drains are drilled into the bypass site. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Among those opposing the four-lane bypass are Ellen Drell, left, a board member of the Willits Environmental Center; Naomi Wagner, media coordinator for direct action group called Earth First!; and Danielle Fristoe, owner of Roadhouse Music, a local business owner. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)