GILROY
–– Money to relieve congestion at the intersection of state
highways 152 and 156 survived a $100 billion cut in federal
transportation spending Wednesday in Washington.
GILROY –– Money to relieve congestion at the intersection of state highways 152 and 156 survived a $100 billion cut in federal transportation spending Wednesday in Washington.
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has planned for years to build a “flyover” ramp to smooth traffic at the Don Pacheco Y, as the intersection is known. To complete the project by 2008, VTA officials were counting on $7 million from the federal Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (TEA-LU), a six-year spending plan which will replace the recently expired Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21).
On Thursday, that money cleared a crucial stage, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
“It’s a huge help for South County,” said Edwin Chan, transportation aide to VTA Chairman Don Gage. “VTA anticipated that amount. … Now it’s on the right track.”
The House TEA-LU bill will go next to the House floor. The Senate approved a $318 billion, six-year transportation bill in late February, according to Traffic World magazine.
The T&I Committee had proposed a six-year highway spending package worth $375 billion, but President Bush threatened to veto any bill for more than $275 billion.
Committee members expressed disappointment, from Republican Chairman Don Young of Alaska to California Democrat Mike Honda, who represents Gilroy.
Nevertheless, they unanimously passed a $275 billion bill. They also passed the $375 billion version as a symbolic gesture, according to Honda’s office.
“The $375 billion bill represents American’s transportation needs as determined by the U.S. Department of Transportation,” Honda said. “I regret that the President has chosen to dismiss the recommendations of his own Transportation Department, preferring instead to support limited funding for transportation in order to accommodate his sweeping tax cuts. I nevertheless am pleased that TEA-LU will provided guaranteed and predictable levels of funding for states and local communities.”
The Pacheco Y is a linchpin in the popular 152 connection between the Silicon and Central valleys. Construction of the ramp is projected to begin in 2006 and finish in 2008.
The flyover ramp would cost $23 million, according to VTA officials. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is expected to spend $11.7 million in federal funds in April to fix the notorious bottleneck. Caltrans and the VTA have committed state dollars to cover the remainder, VTA officials say.
The VTA has also trimmed $12 million in expenses since October, when the ramp was predicted to cost $35 million.
The project was promised in 1996 ballot Measure B, but the half-cent sales tax couldn’t cover the costs. Many feared it would be further delayed after the cash-strapped state rejected funding for it earlier this year.
Meanwhile, the long backups the intersection caused continued to annoy drivers, many of whom use Pacheco Pass as they travel between the Bay Area and Southern California via Interstate 5.
VTA officials have already begun designing the flyover ramp; they unveiled two possible bridge options at an Oct. 1 public meeting. One idea has the bridge being the eastbound 152 lane. In the other, it would be the left-turn lane from 152 west to 156 south.
