The long-awaited transfer of San Benito Street to local control could be less than a year away, opening up the downtown corridor to beautification projects that could make it more walkable and appealing to consumers.
Local officials this week recommended an option to the Council of San Benito County Governments that would return ownership of the existing Highway 25 route from San Felipe Road south to Tres Pinos Road, including the downtown corridor. Caltrans would be responsible for Americans With Disabilities Act compliance on the downtown corridor, including crosswalks.
County supervisors voted 4-1 to recommend the transfer of the bypass to the state, with ownership of the existing roadway transferring to local control. City council members approved the same recommendation Monday night, while the Hollister Downtown Association board of directors also supported the recommendation.
The state would take ownership of the highway bypass as a state road and would make the $3 million to 4 million in improvements identified along the north curve of the road. They would not take ownership of the roadway until the improvements are completed, in three to five years.
Lisa Rheinheimer, the executive director of COG, said the state initially offered two options that locals were not happy to accept. The first would have kept the existing route under state ownership and the bypass under county and city ownership. The second option would have transferred ownership of both roadways to the city and county.
“These options were not accepted warmly by the community,” Rheinheimer said.
She attended meetings in Sacramento, along with locals Gordon Machado and Steve Rosati, to push for another option with Caltrans. As a proponent of the Measure A committee, Machado said officials thought the state would handle the transfer of Highway 25 and the local route in much the same way they did the transfer of Highway 156 – where the state did upgrades to the existing roadway before returning it to local ownership. City funding paid for the construction of the Highway 25 bypass, completed in 2009.
“The city (officials) did vote for option three,” said Supervisor Jerry Muenzer at the meeting. “One thing that was pointed out is that if we were to keep the bypass, we would end up with the curve that has been identified as a $3 to 4 million (upgrade.)”
He said he was concerned about the timeline for the transfer of the bypass of three to five years and asked who would be responsible for maintenance. Rheinheimer said the maintenance is now split between city and county, with the county dealing with weeds while the city deals with drainage and lighting.
Barrios asked if the city has funding to do any of the beautification projects that ownership of San Benito Street would allow.
“I’m not sure if they have funding now without the (Redevelopment Agency),” Rheinheimer said. “But COG would be happy to work with them to identify or help the city find grants.”
Supervisors Barrios and Anthony Botelho were both concerned state ownership of the bypass would not allow access to the roadway for future development. Rheinheimer said COG purchased potential access points with the intent that the state would have ownership of the roadway. Expressways in urban areas, such as San Tomas and Lawrence expressways in Santa Clara County, do not have access into shopping centers – but rather require drivers to turn onto side streets for access.
“Is there a true detriment, I’m not sure,” Rheinheimer said, of the lacking access. “You would have to talk to developers to get that information. Would (consumers) not go if they had to turn onto the side streets?”
Machado said the city paid a “premium” to have no access to commercial development along the bypass. He said the roadway was designed with commercial centers in mind, so that turn lanes onto side streets were built in at the intersections.
Botelho was the sole supervisor against relinquishing control of the Highway 25 bypass to the state.
“I believe it is a huge mistake,” he said. “This is just Caltrans’ way of exchanging San Benito Street and Nash Road in a dilapidated condition.”
