Bidding starts on roadway construction project
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The Highway 25 bypass project will not only change how drivers
get around Hollister, but it has the potential to completely shift
the layout of the downtown blocks.
County officials plan to break ground on the project
– which has been in the works for nearly a decade – in late
April or early May. Should everything go according to plan, the
bypass is scheduled to open by the end of 2008.
Bidding starts on roadway construction project
The Highway 25 bypass project will not only change how drivers get around Hollister, but it has the potential to completely shift the layout of the downtown blocks.
County officials plan to break ground on the project – which has been in the works for nearly a decade – in late April or early May. Should everything go according to plan, the bypass is scheduled to open by the end of 2008.
“We’ve received 100 percent clearance from the federal government so now we can actually begin advertising for bids,” said Mary Dinkuhn, the County Council of Governments transportation planning manager.
The bypass will reroute highway traffic off San Benito Street and onto a road that will be constructed east of McCray Street. Downtown business owners have said they’re very much in favor of the project, because it allows the city to take back their downtown with the re-acquisition of San Benito Street – currently controlled by the California Department of Transportation.
The bypass will be approximately 2.7 miles long and will feature three lanes in each direction from Airline Highway to the new East Park Street extension that is currently planned and from there it will shift to two lanes in each direction.
Dinkuhn expects the bypass will improve conditions for commuters significantly, since commuters on Highway 25 will no longer have to drive through downtown Hollister. They will simply be able to get on the bypass and jet through town. This will really be beneficial to anyone coming from Meridian Street or Santa Ana Road.
“It’s definitely going to take traffic off San Benito Street and create a new north-south road in Hollister,” Dinkuhn said.
The construction may add some delays to commutes while construction is going on, but it is not yet certain how extensive delays will be, Dinkuhn said. Construction details won’t be known until the county has awarded the bid for the project.
However, what is known is that no work that interferes with public traffic will be done between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. or between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., Dinkuhn said.
There will also be no lane closures on Saturdays, Sundays and designated legal holidays or after 3:00 p.m. on Fridays and the day preceding designated legal holidays, and when construction operations are not actively in progress.
The contractor will be required to keep one lane in each direction open on all existing streets while construction is going on. There will be a detour while work is completed in the Sunnyslope road area, one lane will be open in each direction.
Taking back San Benito Street will allow the city to modify the thoroughfare and make the downtown more pedestrian friendly.
“The bypass really opens the possibility for a more pedestrian-friendly downtown,” said Brenda Weatherly, executive director for the Hollister Downtown Association. “Previously the street has been car-dominant and people were not comfortable crossing the street because it is dangerous. Hopefully the bypass will make people more comfortable spending time downtown.”
Recent delays have included an unexpected $15 million shortfall – the city and the county were saddled with – and lengthy litigation with some of the landowners who felt they were entitled to more than what the county offered for the land.
Jerry Muenzer, who is the chair of the Hollister Downtown Association’s economic restructuring committee, said that the association is updating its strategy plan so that businesses will be ready when the bypass opens.
“This has been a long time coming,” Muenzer said. “It is still a ways off, but we need to start planning what the street will look like now.”
The project construction timeframe has been estimated at around 18 months. If construction starts in May, the project should be completed by December of 2008, around the same time the sewer project is completed.
Costs won’t be finalized until the county sees the bids, but Dinkuhn estimated the total cost of the project will be around $45 million. That includes the land acquisition, design and construction.
Funding for the project will come through a combination of federal, state and local dollars, but most of the funds will come from Hollister and San Benito County traffic impact fees, as well as the Measure A sales tax.
Downtown merchants are optimistic, but cautious. Larry Otis, owner of the Broken Wing said he is anxious about the idea of re-routing Highway 25 traffic.
“It gets rid of [auto] traffic, but at the same time it gets rid of traffic,” Otis said. “At the same time, it should make the downtown more pedestrian friendly and that’s good.”
Crosswalks at all the intersections and widening of the sidewalks are just two of the ways the members of the Hollister Downtown Association have talked about making San Benito Street more pedestrian friendly.
The members have also discussed the possibility of more landscaping and narrowing the gaps to make the corners more bulbed.
“I think we have the opportunity to really improve the ambiance of the downtown,” Weatherly said. “We can really improve things and make it more suited for pedestrians.”
Patrick O’Donnell can be reached at
po*******@pi**********.com
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