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Caltrans Says Highway 1 Merge Lanes Project on Schedule
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Caltrans Says Highway 1 Merge Lanes Project on Schedule
Work to Last Three Years
By Michael Thomas
Some things have to get worse before they get better. Unfortunately for commuters on Highway 1, major road projects almost always fall into that category. Work has begun on merge lanes that will someday stretch from Morrissey Boulevard to Pasatiempo Drive on northbound Highway 17. In the meantime, motorists can expect minor to major delays for the next three years.
The $48 million dollar project is the biggest upgrade to the interchange since it was built in the 1960s. After years of delays and increasing cost estimates, the project got the green light this spring after receiving $6.6 million in additional State funding.
Caltrans spokesperson Susana Cruz said that contractors will limit most lane closures to nighttime hours.
“Two lanes of traffic will remain open during commute hours and weekends,” she said.
Nevertheless, the beginning of major work on Highway 1 has already increased congestion. County Supervisor Ellen Pirie, whose District includes many supporters of future Highway expansion, said she hasn’t heard a lot of feedback about the project so far. She suspects that the delays are partially the result of drivers slowing down to ogle the excavation.
“My theory is we are just not used to having our highways worked on,” Pirie said.
Five Overpasses and Bridges to be Rebuilt
The project requires rebuilding five overpasses and bridges, and that portion of the work will result in some of the more disruptive roadway closures.
Already, the Market Street under-crossing has been closed for three months. Cruz said that closure came earlier than expected because of complications relocating PG&E utility poles.
“We are on target now,” she said.
The Branciforte over-crossing will be closed for nine months later in the process. The Emeline Avenue off-ramp will be closed for 18 months, starting at the end of May.
The temporary concrete barriers that have been installed to create a safe zone for work crews will remain in place for at least two years, although they may be realigned at various times, according to Cruz.
The barriers, called k-rail, leave traffic in a constrained corridor with no shoulders. “If there is an emergency, the vehicle is going to have to block the lane,” Cruz said.
Extension of Merge Lanes to Soquel Delayed
The County’s Regional Transportation Commission is still seeking the funds to extend the merge lanes from Morrissey to Soquel. About 121,000 vehicles travel through the area everyday.
The extension project is expected to cost $11.4 million. Congressman Sam Farr sec-ured $2.8 million in Federal funds for the Morrissey-Soquel segment last year. In January, the RTC requested $20 million in State funds for a variety of projects, including $8.5 million for the merge lane extension. The request was rejected.
According to RTC planner Kim Schultz, “We are on
hold subject to finding some funding.”
The extension project, if funded, would begin in 2009 as work on the primary project wrapped up and re-vegetation and landscaping began. Schultz remains optimistic that the State Transportation Commission will approve subsequent requests to fund the extension to Soquel.
“We came back with a second option to break the project down into phases,” Schultz said.
County voters roundly rejected a transportation sales tax measure last year that would have allocated $363 million for car pool lanes on the highway extending to State Park Drive in Aptos.
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