Hollister
– Many drivers can see their commute over Pacheco Pass is on its
way to becoming a lot easier as construction equipment gathers near
the Highway 152-156 intersection.
Hollister – Many drivers can see their commute over Pacheco Pass is on its way to becoming a lot easier as construction equipment gathers near the Highway 152-156 intersection.
Sandra Avila moved from Hollister to Los Banos four years ago to take advantage of affordable home prices in the Central Valley town. The construction of the Highway 152-156 eastbound flyover will make the left hand turn she makes toward Hollister every morning less scary, she said.
“It is going to make it a lot easier on everyone,” Avila said.
Besides the morning backups on westbound Highway 152 at the intersection, Avila said many eastbound drivers slow to a dangerous stop to give commuters turning onto Highway 156 a courtesy pass.
Avila hopes the flyover will also cut some time off her 50-minute commute.
However, before construction crews begin to prepare adjacent agricultural land for the ramp, the site is waiting on approval of its storm runoff plan, said Ethan Winston, a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority spokesman.
“We’re pretty close,” Winston said. “We anticipate within the next week or two.”
Funding for the $35.4 million project comes from local, state and federal sources, Winston said.
Project contractor RGW Construction is expected to complete the flyover in spring of 2009, according to the VTA. The Livermore, Calif. company netted a $17.1 million contract for the construction portion of the project at the beginning of March.
Night work will keep construction delays to a minimum, said VTA spokeswoman Jayme Kunz.
“Will there be any prolonged closures? Absolutely not,” she said.
Kunz added that the highway will never be closed for construction during the holidays, when much of the South Bay Area uses Highway 152 to access Interstate 5.
The project will help improve congestion over Pacheco Pass, but only an alternative route will solve Highway 152 traffic woes, Winston said.
“Things are definitely going to be better than they were,” Winston said. “But it’s not going to be an open highway.”
Hollister Mayor Brad Pike, who sits on the Council of Governments, worked to bring about safety improvements to the stretch of Highway 25 between Hollister and Gilroy in 2002. Pike said the flyover will greatly improve the safety of the Highway 152-156 intersection.
“If we could keep once person from losing a life on any of the roadways, that’s what we should be focused on,” Pike said. “It’s one of those things that they can’t build soon enough.”
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or
mv*********@fr***********.com
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