Gilroy
– It’s suddenly raining money on the flyover project planned for
the intersection of highways 152 and 156.
Left for dead earlier this year, the much-delayed project is on
the verge of receiving federal and state funding.
Gilroy – It’s suddenly raining money on the flyover project planned for the intersection of highways 152 and 156.
Left for dead earlier this year, the much-delayed project is on the verge of receiving federal and state funding. The project is included in a $284 billion transportation bill pending in the U.S. Senate, and it’s part of an updated budget to be revealed today by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that adds $1.3 billion for transportation projects.
John Ristow, a deputy director with the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, said Thursday that Schwarzenegger’s decision to not raid gas tax funds to balance the budget is the first good news the VTA has had in a long time.
“People are happy they’re getting money that was supposed to be there, but there’s a long way to go before [the money] is ready to go,” Ristow said. “But if it sticks, we will not have to delete projects and that’s a good thing.”
Ristow said that if the project receives both state and federal money the VTA will be able to divert about $6 million to other projects, including improvements at the intersection of Highway 101 and Rte. 25.
But the most important project is elevating Highway 152 over Highway 156. During heavy traffic, “good Samaritan” motorists heading east on 152 from Gilroy often stop at the intersection – although they have no stop or yield sign – to let stacked-up westbound drivers make the turn. This can cause eastbound cars and trucks to back up all the way to Gilroy, about 13 miles.
Construction on the $30 million project should begin next year.
The new state budget is a bonanza for pending transportation projects up and down the state. The VTA should receive money for a number of North County improvements and could see a few dollars for the BART-to-San Jose project, though nowhere near the $700 million originally promised by former Gov. Gray Davis.
