The closure of Nash Road at San Benito High School is set to be completed this October.
School and county officials had originally hoped the road could close to weekday traffic in August, providing a bypass around the school to divert traffic from the center of the sprawling campus.
Four construction projects are happening simultaneously through and around Nash Road. The timing of the road’s closure is dependent on the completion of a bypass road, which is intertwined with the various projects. The projects included in the plans are a park, a crosstown pipeline, the bypass road, and the Nash Road closure. The bypass being created to divert traffic is also the first stage of a new county park.
Adam Goldstone, capital project manager for San Benito County, said the cross-pipeline project has slowed work on the bypass project because of its proximity to both Nash Road and the bypass route. Measure G is helping to fund the Nash Road. construction, with around $1.8 million taken out of the measure’s fund. The plan was first approved in 2016.
The measure G financial audit said the expected completion date for the Nash Road project was August 2018.
San Benito High School Supt. Shawn Tennenbaum said he was pleased at the rate all projects were moving.
In the San Benito High School newsletter, the school explained the progress made on the Nash Rd. project: “Crews last week installed metal gates across Nash Road between Monterey and West streets. They will eventually be closed from 7am. to 7pm weekdays to prevent vehicular traffic from bisecting campus.”
Tennenbaum said the bypass was important to the safety of the school’s students and staff. Tennenbaum said the closure of Nash Road was the initial project that resulted in the three-part partnership and multiple projects.
He believes the projects, “may be one of the largest, if not largest, multi-agent partnership.”
Tennenbaum emphasized the scale of collaboration during the project and said many agencies and committees have worked together effectively to implement the plan.
The work done by the school district is finished, and upon the completion of the bypass, Nash Road will be immediately ready to assume the pre-determined schedule.
The Hollister City Council originally approved the plans in November 2016 because of safety concerns for students crossing the street to attend classes.
The bypass will be south of the San Benito High School football stadium and will intersect with Nash Road to the west of the school
Goldstone said the bypass road has not yet been named, but will be around 1.5 miles long.The land for the planned park was given to the county by the school in exchange for building the bypass.
“It took a little while, but we couldn’t be more pleased with the partnership,” said Tennenbaum.
