Hollister council OKs push for sound wall removal

The City of Hollister wants the state to reconsider the sound wall placed along the bypass near the Highway 25 intersection with San Felipe Road.
Council members Tuesday approved a request to Caltrans to remove the sound wall near the Chevron gas station. An agenda report on the matter makes the case that removing the sound wall could provide an economic benefit at the key intersection for a commuter-heavy town.
The request is “contingent” on sound mitigations being in place to address existing residential units along Chappell Road.
In the spring of last year, Hollister took over control on San Benito Street, the downtown main drag, in exchange for the Highway 25 bypass that cuts through the city and was completed in early 2009.