After months of delay, the Council of Governments, the county’s
transportation agency, is again embarking on the process to build
the Highway 25 Bypass that will route traffic around downtown.
After months of delay, the Council of Governments, the county’s transportation agency, is again embarking on the process to build the Highway 25 Bypass that will route traffic around downtown. This is a crucial project for the success of our downtown because it will mean the city gets control of San Benito Street – now a state highway – and can make it a pedestrian-friendly road. Construction on the $24 million bypass, which has been on the books for decades, was slated to begin last summer, but was tanked when the owners of 13 properties along the route said they were lowballed by COG and threatened to go to court.
That forced COG to get new property appraisals and wait another year to begin construction.
Now, armed with fresh appraisals, the COG directors have voted to begin eminent domain to get the property they need to build the road despite continued objections by the property owners. Construction will begin this summer.
It can’t be soon enough.
While we hope the property owners are being treated fairly, this project is too important to the overall health of our downtown business climate to delay any longer. Our downtown business owners and the city are desperately awaiting the bypass so they can begin to make meaningful changes on our main street that should help the area flourish.
As anyone who has darted across the four lanes of speeding traffic can tell you, San Benito is far from a pedestrian-friendly downtown shopping street.
But once the city has control of the road, it can install more crosswalks and traffic signals in downtown and make other improvements to create a more inviting environment for pedestrians and shoppers.
COG must make this project go this time around so we can pave the way for a brighter future in our downtown.
