The intersection of Nash Road and San Benito Street, one of the busiest intersections in the county, will be resurfaced before San Benito High School's new semester begins in August, officials announced at the July 20 Hollister City Council meeting. The roadway "has become a priority for resurfacing," said David Rubcic, interim engineering manager and city engineer, in a report to the council.

"This intersection's surface has become distorted, causing excessive vibrations in vehicles while driving and in surrounding homes," Rubcic said, noting that the work will take place in the two-week window between the end of SBHS's summer school and the start of the fall semester. The last day of summer school is July 23; new teacher academy begins at the school on Aug. 3.

The $114,155 project will include removing and replacing three inches of asphalt/concrete, replacement of manhole and valve covers, reinstalling traffic loops for the traffic signals, re-striping of crosswalks with high-visibility thermoplastic, and traffic control during the two to three days it will take for the refurbishment.

Wattis Construction Company, which has a $494,999 contract for the rehabilitation of Cerra Vista Road between Union Road and Sunnyslope Road with an asphalt concrete overlay.

Parking restrictions near high school

In other council action, the council took the first steps toward amending the city's municipal code to add three-hour time restrictions on the west side of Monterey Street near San Benito High School during the hours of 7 a.m.to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. The issue will come back before the council at its August meeting for possible adoption.

"Parking on Monterey Street next to San Benito High School has been historically problematic during certain times of the day," Rubcic wrote in a report to council. "More specifically, problems are enhanced during the times that (SBHS) is in session throughout the year."

In the spring semester, school officials mandated that students and staff park in campus parking lots, rather than along Monterey Street.

"This action has been successful," Rubcic said, "however, there are still individuals parking along this stretch of frontage, making it difficult for school visitors to park and access the administrative offices on campus."

School officials asked Rubcic if the city could add the new parking restrictions during the work week, "which would meet the needs of the high school and allow the residents in the area to utilize parking on the street in the evenings, overnight and on weekends."

Some council members wondered if restricting parking only on the west side of Monterey was enough of a deterrent, but Rubcic said it was best to adopt the restrictions on one side of the street and determine if other steps need to be taken later.