Lea este artículo en español aquí.
After almost three years, Caltrans is nearing the final stages of the Hwy 156 expansion project.
The transportation agency said it will be opening the last two lanes of the new four-lane highway between Hollister and San Juan Bautista the week of June 9.
Caltrans has scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the project on June 7.
Caltrans Deputy District 5 Director Brandy Rider said the agency is finalizing the application of the final layer of asphalt. Rider said the process was expected to be completed May 29.
In the final stage, Caltrans will complete signage and delineation work.
The agency will also repave the previous Hwy 156 route before relinquishing it to San Benito County as a frontage road.
Motorists traveling westbound in May have been experiencing delays of up to 30 minutes from San Juan Bautista to Union Road because of lane closures related to the project and a bottleneck at the roundabout in between.
The Hwy 156 project consists of about five new miles of four-lane at-grade expressway from The Alameda in San Juan Bautista to Business Route 156 near Hollister.
According to the project description, Hwy 156 is a “key goods movement corridor that carries freight throughout California and the nation.”
The focus of the $105.9 million expansion project is to relieve traffic congestion on Hwy 156 and “reduce peak hour traffic congestion and save millions in vehicle operating and accident costs,” according to the Caltrans website.
The project is funded through local traffic impact fees and the statewide transportation and improvement program.
Caltrans estimates the project will save $34.6 million in accident and vehicle operating costs over 20 years; provide a $102.8 million return on investment in the same period; and reduce congestion by 1,902 hours daily and 694,257 hours annually.
Related BenitoLink articles
We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service nonprofit news.