A combination of climate change and natural erosion is thought to be threatening the highway, vital for school buses, emergency services and local businesses.

“Last Chance Grade and Highway 101 isn’t just a road — it’s a lifeline,” said state Senate President Pro Tem Sen. Mark McGuire, who represents the north coast.

DEL NORTE COUNTY, Calif. — In March 1972, Kurt Stremberg’s parents gave him a predawn ride from their house in northwest California to his friend’s home in the tiny town of Klamath, about 20 miles south of Crescent City on Highway 101.

Stremberg, then 24, and his buddy were going to hitch a ride on a log truck bound for San Francisco, catch a flight to Europe, and see the world.

His parents, Edwin and Aili Stremberg, said a quick goodbye, then started driving home. It w

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