Hollister
– Work crews began preparations this week for a highway project
expected to ease travel between Hollister and the Central
Valley.
Hollister – Work crews began preparations this week for a highway project expected to ease travel between Hollister and the Central Valley.
The much-anticipated flyover at the Don Pacheco Y, where state highways 152 and 156 cross, will allow eastbound cars to pass over drivers headed west into Hollister. The intersection is notorious for backing up weekend and holiday traffic for miles in both directions.
Initial preparations for the $35.4 million project began Monday and involve clearing property within the work area. The work also involves installing special fencing to keep animals out of the work area and widening private driveways for safe passage of construction vehicles.
“(The flyover) eliminates a big congestion point and improves public safety by separating the traffic flows,” said Ethan Winston, a spokesman for the Valley Transportation Authority.
Next week, workers will begin laying concrete barriers along the road as they prepare for the start of heavy construction. Later this summer, they plan to relocate and rebuild culverts.
“Even though we’re building a bridge, the first thing people will see is digging,” Winston said.
Contractor RGW Construction is expected to complete the flyover in the spring of 2009, according to the VTA. The Livermore-based company netted a $17.1 million contract for the construction portion of the project at the beginning of March.
The VTA plans to work on the project at night to keep delays to a minimum. The agency also plans to keep the highway open during holidays, when much of the South Bay Area uses Highway 152 to access Interstate 5 and Highway 99.
For more project information, call VTA Community Outreach at 408-321-7575.
Serdar Tumgoren is senior staff writer for the Gilroy Dispatch. Reach him at 847-7109 or
st*******@gi************.com
.
