Economic stimulus to shape up Central Valley highways

SACRAMENTO
March 12, 2009 12:02am

A list of 57 transportation projects – totaling $625 million – has been approved by the California Transportation Commission as the first in line to get infrastructure-focused federal economic stimulus dollars.

Of the total, some $131.8 million will be spent in the Central Valley.

In the Central Valley, the project list includes:

• $46.7 million to replace two aging bridges on Highway 99 in Merced County

• $17 million to rehabilitate the roadway in Butte County, near Biggs from Rio Benito Road to Route 162 east.

• $16 million to rehabilitate Highway 145 in Madera County near Madera, from Avenue 5 1/2 to Avenue 11 ½

• $5.1 million to upgrade median barriers on I-5 in Kern County near the Grapevine

• $15.6 million to replace the Chester Avenue Bridge in Bakersfield

• $5.9 million to add traffic monitoring units on I-5 in Sacramento, El Dorado, Yolo and Placer counties

• $24.3 million to realign a curve on Highway 4 west of Stockton, from east of Middle River to Trapper Road

• $1.2 million for maintenance projects on Highway 33 in Merced County in and near Dos Palos, from the Fresno County line to Route 152; and in Stanislaus County at and near Westley to just south of Rodgers Road to the San Joaquin County line.

The CTC voted to allocate funding for 56 of the projects, pending only final approval by the Federal Highway Administration to release the stimulus funds, enabling construction to begin.

The 57th project is the reconstruction of Doyle Drive in San Francisco, which is the southern access to the Golden Gate Bridge and is awaiting approval from the CTC for the environmental approval phase before being presented to the commission for consideration of a funding allocation next month.

“This is about jobs, jobs, jobs,” says Caltrans Director Will Kempton. “We plan on starting the first of these projects within 60 days – putting people to work as soon as possible.”

The bulk of the projects and the money -- nearly $565 million -- is targeted for paving, fixing potholes, safety, and bridge preservation. The remaining $60 million of funding allocated today will go toward pavement preservation projects.

California is expected to receive approximately $2.57 billion for highways, local streets and roads, freight and passenger rail, and port infrastructure projects from the stimulus package signed by President Obama on Feb. 17.