Construction isn’t likely to start for years, but plans are
moving ahead for major changes to State Routes 152 and 156.
Construction isn’t likely to start for years, but plans are moving ahead for major changes to State Routes 152 and 156.
Local commuters and leaders have said both highways, as well as Highway 25, need to be improved to address traffic and safety concerns. And in 2006, both the Board of Supervisors and the Council of San Benito County Governments passed resolutions declaring the widening of highways 152, 156 and 25 the region’s top transportation priorities.
The widening of Highway 156 between San Juan Bautista and Hollister is closer to becoming a reality, with a draft environmental impact report recently completed by the California Department of Transportation. The report identifies three viable alternatives for the project. According to the EIR, those alternatives could cost between $41.5 million and $54.7 million – and would involve the purchase of between 128 and 206 acres.
“The bottom line is that (COG) supports the project,” said Lisa Rheinheimer, COG’s executive director who is writing a response to the EIR. “That said, we understand that the preservation of the agricultural and rural character of the land is very important, and we’re asking Caltrans to choose the alternative that most fits with that character.”
But not everyone is happy the widening is progressing. San Juan Bautista City Councilman George Dias, who chairs COG’s board of directors, said the EIR is “flawed.”
“There are going to have to be some points redone, particularly in regards to the noise situation,” Dias said.
Dias said his opposition to the project stems in large part from the harm that noise by braking trucks is already doing to San Juan Bautista, a problem he said would get worse if Highway 156 widens.
“The only thing I feel good about is, I think … Caltrans is starting to listen to San Juan and San Juan Valley,” he said.
Caltrans recently held public meetings to discuss the project and its EIR, and is now preparing a final report.
Caltrans District Five Director Richard Krumholz will make the final decision on which alternative to build, said Caltrans spokeswoman Donna Carter.
“We’re very interested in addressing all concerns and creating a project that makes everyone happy,” Carter said.
Rheinheimer said COG has also partnered with Santa Clara County’s Valley Transportation Authority to prepare plans for realigning Highway 152. As with Highway 156, three options for improving it have been identified, with costs ranging from $232 million to $393 million.
Rheinheimer has presented the three options to the San Benito County Business Council, the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce, the San Benito County Economic Development Corp., the Hollister Airmen’s Association and the Hollister Downtown Association.
“I’ve gotten pretty similar responses,” Rheinheimer said. “They’ve said, ‘Yes, let’s continue with this partnership,’ and they’ve been very receptive to looking at different options.”
COG also plans to make similar presentations to the Hollister City Council, the San Juan Bautista City Council and the San Benito County Board of Supervisors, and will ask for more input from each of the community groups before a final route is chosen, Rheinheimer said. VTA is in charge of project funding, although some of the money can also come from federal or state sources, she said.
“The best-case scenario would be by 10 years from now at least starting construction,” Rheinheimer said. “But that all depends on funding.”
State Route 156:
– Build a four-lane highway south of existing 156 with two-lane frontage roads north and south of the highway
– Build a four-lane highway south of existing 156 with no frontage roads
– Build a four-lane highway south of existing 156 and use the existing highway as the northern frontage road
State Route 152:
– Create a new alignment of 152 west from the Don Pacheco Y into northern San Benito County
– Create a new alignment of 152 south from the Don Pacheco Y along existing 156 and moving west from 156 to 25 south of Shore Road
– Create a new alignment of 152 south from the Don Pacheco Y utilizing existing 156 and 25
Source: Caltrans and COG
