San Juan Bautista Councilman Tony Boch gave a standard report at Tuesday’s council meeting about the latest Council of San Benito County Governments board meeting he attended and reported that “nothing affecting San Juan” happened there.
At the COG meeting, it has been reported that Boch voted with a 3-2 majority against putting the Highway 25 widening project on a crucial state funding list designating certain projects as financially “constrained.” Hollister Councilman Victor Gomez reported at Monday’s council meeting about the COG board’s recent vote and expressed frustration about opposition to the designation – which boosts a project’s chances of obtaining outside funding help.
During council reports regarding committee gatherings at San Juan’s meeting Tuesday, Boch spoke briefly. He mentioned there were matters on the COG agenda, “but nothing affecting San Juan.” He did not elaborate beyond that and could not be reached immediately Tuesday, for further comment, during the council proceeding.
A day earlier, Gomez reported to other Hollister council members that the COG board voted against placing the highway on a list of constrained projects. He said Boch joined County Supervisors Anthony Botelho and Jerry Muenzer – whom Gomez is trying to unseat on the Nov. 4 ballot – in voting against the financially constrained designation.
COG staff members are planning to meet with Caltrans’ staff to discuss alternate proposals for the highway and possibly an alternate route adoption, Gomez said.
“Unfortunately, there wasn’t a commitment from the majority of the COG board to move forward with an actual, detailed plan,” Gomez said.
COG in early 2011 endorsed plans for the expansion of the nearly 15-mile stretch and a 3.8-mile, four-lane expressway starting from Hollister on the west side of the current highway before transitioning back to the existing two-lane highway.
After COG asked Caltrans in June 2010 to reduce potential impacts on agriculture, the state modified the roadway plan to cut estimated costs. By reducing the median width from 62 feet to 46 feet and moving the proposed alignment closer to the existing Highway 25, it reduced the need for farmland acquisition by up to 30 percent. Estimates on the entire build-out of the Highway 25 expansion project have been near $300 million.
