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Closure of the Union Road/Hwy 156 intersection is expected to start in late June. Traffic will be directed to the adjacent San Juan Hollister Road, which is currently closed.
Caltrans project manager Terry Thompson said she doesn’t know the exact date the closure will begin and that she usually finds out about a week in advance.
San Benito County Public Works Administrator Steve Loupe said in his presentation to the Board of Supervisors on May 21 that the project is expected to last eight weeks, weather permitting.
Originally, Caltrans was planning on closing the intersection for eight months sometime after Thanksgiving in 2023. However, after community reaction, Caltrans decided to pay an extra $400,000 to the contractor to work additional hours and reduce the construction period to about eight weeks. The extra funds will come from the project’s contingency budget.
“It’s a really good example of Caltrans being flexible and actually listening to the concerns of the community,” Loupe said.
Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki said it was important to motorists that the time frame was shortened.
“I particularly know, not as much as the commuters, but living right off 156 how miserable it is for these drivers and how dangerous it’s become on that road,” he said.
Loupe said Caltrans will install temporary traffic signals at San Juan Hollister Road and Fourth Street intersection, lengthen the right turn lane onto Fourth Street from Hwy 156, and add another left turn lane from Fourth Street onto Hwy 156.
“We just ask that everybody has patience between June and August for this closure,” Loupe said. “Next fall the actual Hwy 156 project will be completed.”
After the Union Road/156 intersection is opened, Mitchell Road will be closed temporarily, he said.
Thompson said upon reopening the Union Road intersection, traffic will be using the new Hwy 156.
“Once the traffic is onto the new route, I believe some of the congestion will be alleviated,” she said.
The Union Road/156 intersection closure is part of Caltrans’ $105.9 million San Benito Route 156 Improvement Project, which includes constructing five miles of four-lane expressway between The Alameda in San Juan Bautista and Fourth Street in Hollister. The project is funded by the State Transportation Improvement Program and local funds.
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