In an effort to improve safety, county officials have given the
green light to the installation of traffic signals at two
intersections along Union Road.
In an effort to improve safety, county officials have given the green light to the installation of traffic signals at two intersections along Union Road.
In a unanimous decision, the Board of Supervisors awarded a $406,606 contract to Wattis Construction, one of nine companies that sought to install traffic signals on Union Road at the intersections of San Benito Street and Southside Road.
County Public Works Director Doug Koenig said the plans also call for an added left-turn lane from San Benito Street onto Union and increasing the height of the curve at the intersection to allow vehicles to negotiate the westbound curve without greatly reducing speed.
“Both projects were approved during the budget process last fall,” Koenig said. “It’s going to be a lot nicer for parents to get their kids to school.”
Work on the project could begin by the middle of March, but most likely will not be completed until late May or early June.
“There is about a two-month wait in shipping for the poles and about three months for the cabinets that will house the electrical components,” Assistant Public Works Director Arman Nazemi said.
The poles to hold the traffic signals could not be ordered until a contract for the construction project was awarded. Nazemi said once all the parts have arrived, the actual construction should take only about two weeks to complete.
However, while builders wait for the poles and the electrical housing, they could begin work on the section of road at the San Benito Street intersection.
The new traffic signals and intersection improvements have been under consideration by the Board for nearly a year, Koenig said.
One of the things the project has going for it is that it will not cost the county any money. The Measure A authority authorized $400,000 toward improvements at Union Road and San Benito Street with the understanding that any costs over that amount would be paid through the local Traffic Impact Fee account.
The approved budget included $150,000 for the Union-Southside installation, which will come from traffic impact fees.
Both intersections were evaluated by traffic engineers with Hexagon Consultants and met the required traffic volume for installing a signal.
