Construction on the long-awaited expansion of Hwy 156 began on Aug. 21, with one-way traffic control beginning at the Alameda intersection in San Juan Bautista from 9 p. m. to 5 a.m. daily through Aug. 26.
The initial construction phase of the San Benito Route 156 Improvement Project involves restriping the roadway and installing cement traffic barriers, known as “K-rail.” Caltrans does not expect traffic control to be needed for more than one week, after which the project should only occasionally intrude onto the existing road, such as when construction vehicles enter and exit.
“After we are finished on Friday morning, the primary construction will take place south of the current highway alignment,” said Kevin Drabinski, public information officer for Caltrans District 5. “We might have to do some limited traffic control as we do the earthwork or add more K-rail, but for the most part, the work will be done away from the existing roadway.”
Drabinski said that in his conversations with the community, he found possible traffic issues were minor concerns. Instead, people said they were grateful that construction was getting underway.
“We found people almost unanimously started the conversation with ‘thank you,’” he said. “This project is being recognized as necessary in light of the increased population in the area. And compared to the occasional delays at the 156/25 roundabout construction, this will have very little impact on the residents of Hollister and San Juan Bautista.”
The Hwy 25/Hwy 156 roundabout, which began construction in May, is one of four current Caltrans projects in San Benito County. Delays are being caused by the rerouting of traffic around the construction, which will finish some time in Fall 2023.
San Benito Route 156 Improvement Project will build five miles of four-lane expressway from The Alameda to Hwy 156 near Hollister with a budget of $105.9 million. Construction is scheduled to be completed in March 2024.
Caltrans warns that, during construction, access will be closed from Hwy 156 to Mission Vineyard Road in San Juan Bautista. In addition, San Juan Hollister Road will not be accessible from Union Road.
Information on the San Benito Route 156 Improvement Project can be found on the Transportation updates page of the Council of San Benito County Governments at: http://sanbenitocog.org/transportation-updates/
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