By Matt King – Staff Writer
Gilroy
– Traffic on Pacheco Pass Highway heading east out of Gilroy is
finally on the verge of getting better. But before it improves, it
might get worse.
By Matt King – Staff Writer
Gilroy – Traffic on Pacheco Pass Highway heading east out of Gilroy is finally on the verge of getting better. But before it improves, it might get worse.
On Nov. 30, The Valley Transportation Authority plans to select a bid for the delayed widening of Highway 152 from just west of Gilroy Foods to Llagas Creek. Assuming a reasonable bid is accepted, the VTA will recommend a contract to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors at their Dec. 9 meeting, allowing work to begin in May after potential flood dangers have passed.
Santa Clara County Supervisor and VTA Chairman Don Gage said Thursday that the $23-million project “is a go.”
The bridge crossing Llagas Creek will be widened to accommodate the road, but the centerpiece of is a much-needed signal in front of Gilroy Foods. The east entrance will be aligned with the Westside Transport Inc. entrance across the highway. Turn lanes will be added for both businesses.
Jack Collins. VTA’s chief construction officer said Thursday that the project should take about 18 months and be completed by the end of 2006.
In the meantime, South Valley Disposal & Recycling Inc. is adding to the congestion, moving some of its operation from its Alexander Street building to the facility across 152 from Gilroy Foods. That means about 70 employees and 45 trucks turning in and out of one of South Valley’s worst intersections.
That’s bad news for the more than 600 Gilroy Food employees who play a dangerous cat-and-mouse game when leaving, waiting for a break in the traffic before darting onto the highway, causing backups in the Gilroy Foods parking. Friday afternoons are even worse, as weekend traffic heading east stacks up 152 to Highway 101 in Gilroy.
The disposal company wants a new transfer station as much as four times larger than its San Martin facility where it processes and transfers solid waste and recyclable material from Gilroy, Morgan Hill and other parts of Santa Clara and San Benito counties.
The Westside Transport Inc. facility is at the top of its shopping list. South Valley Disposal signed a long-term lease on the facility earlier this year, but it has yet to submit a proposal for the controversial project. A new transfer station at any location is at least three years away, but this weekend the disposal company will move its truckyard to the Westside Transport site and use the building to house its accounting and customer service operations .
General Manager Phil Couchee said Thursday that his company won’t actually increase the traffic on 152 because the trucks already use the route to and from the Pacheco Pass landfill off Bloomfield Road.
“The trucks already go back and forth beyond there,” he said. “There will actually be significantly less traffic than there was with Westside Transport. They had as many as 300 trucks at their peak.”
Couchee has, however, counseled his employees on the great caution they need to take exiting the parking lot.
Bob Cates, director of operations at Gilroy Foods, isn’t bothered that he’s got a new neighbor across the street. He’s just happy that there’s a light at the end of a very backed up tunnel.
“We’re encouraged that the Highway 152 project continues to move forward,” he said. “And we appreciate the work being done by all the agencies working on it to make the Highway 152 safety improvements a reality.”
Route 152
• Four lanes from west of Gilroy Foods to Llagas Creek.
• Bridge crossing Llagas will be widened.
• East entrance of Gilroy Foods will be aligned with the entrance of Westside Transport.
• A signal and turn lanes will be installed for each business.
Who:
VTA and Santa Clara County
What:
Forum to discuss projects, including Highway 152 improvements, transit systems and bike routes
When:
Nov. 23 at 6:30pm
Where:
Board Chamber, 70 W. Hedding St., First Floor, San Jose
