Windy stretch of road to Hollister Hills set for fix
The first phase of a project designed to realign a well-traveled
portion of Cienega Road is getting under way south of
Hollister.
Windy stretch of road to Hollister Hills set for fix
The first phase of a project designed to realign a well-traveled portion of Cienega Road is getting under way south of Hollister.
San Benito County supervisors recently approved a $422,160 contract with Don Chapin Co. to build a bridge over a drainage culvert in what will eventually straighten out a small stretch of Cienega Road, which snakes its way to Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area and the county’s wine-growing region.
The straightened portion of the road will be built through a field west of the San Benito River, giving motorists an option to avoid two sharp turns near the Montebello Estates and Ashford Highlands subdivisions.
County Public Works Administrator Steve Wittry said Phase 2 of the $2.3 million project – the actual construction of the road – will follow, though when it will occur “is dependent on funding and the state budget situation.”
The realignment will allow motorists who enter Cienega just west of the Union Road bridge crossing of the San Benito River to drive straight to Hospital Road, and then turn right to rejoin the old portion of Cienega heading southwest.
Currently, drivers – many of whom are towing trailers – make a sharp right then a sharp left as Cienega winds past Montebello Estates and the entrance to the hilltop Ashford subdivision.
The genesis of the road realignment plan dates back to the start of the housing projects, both of which contributed money that will be used for the new stretch of pavement.
“It’s been on the books for a long time,” said Wittry, noting that officials hope that most of the traffic to Hollister Hills will eventually choose the straighter path to Hospital Road, avoiding the sharp turns and reducing traffic in the residential areas.
The bridge over the small drainage culvert needs to be completed by Oct. 15, Witty said, in advance of the rainy season.
In addition to uncertainty about the immediate availability of funding, the road construction phase of the project has been pushed back as officials continue right-of-way negotiations with some property owners along the projected realignment.
