Bypass repairs under way
Workers are filling trenches along the margins of the Hwy. 25
bypass through Hollister this week, as the expressway around
downtown Hollister nears completion.
Bypass repairs under way
Workers are filling trenches along the margins of the Hwy. 25 bypass through Hollister this week, as the expressway around downtown Hollister nears completion.
The San Benito County Council of Governments, which is overseeing the $35 million project, announced late in October that paving near the edges of the route was subject to cracking because portions of the site had not been adequately prepared.
COG required the project’s lead contractor, Pavex, to remove the fractured paving and re-install it, which pushed the projected opening from late in November to some time early next year.
“It takes time,” said Mary Dinkuhn, the transportation-planning manager for COG. “Once they’re done with this they’ve still got to do final paving, striping, that sort of thing, so there’s still lots left to do.”
On the plus side, the unseasonably dry weather has allowed work to continue almost daily.
Once the bypass is open, COG and the city of Hollister will begin negotiations with the state Department of Transportation to officially re-route Hwy. 25 to the bypass and turn San Benito Street and Nash Road over to Hollister’s jurisdiction.
The change will allow the city to make changes to San Benito Street to make the downtown area more inviting.
