East Sonora Bypass rolls ahead

With a contract in place for the second phase of the East Sonora Bypass project, construction should begin in the spring.

Caltrans awarded a $22.9 million contract for the job to Teichert/MCM Construction last month, according to Caltrans. The joint bid between the two Sacramento contractors was the lowest of five proposals, with the highest coming in at $30.7 million, according to the Caltrans bid summary.

The state started advertising for bids for the multi-year project’s second phase in August. This phase will include two bridges and installation of a signal light. Once complete, the second phase of the bypass will run for about two miles from Peaceful Oak Road, where the first phase ended, to Via Este.    

Duke York, with public works in the Tuolumne County Community Resources Agency, said construction should begin this spring.    

Eventually, the full bypass is expected to be a Highway 108 thoroughfare running from Sanguinetti Road in Sonora to the four-lane stretch at Twain Harte Drive. The state and the Tuolumne County Transportation Council have been working together to plan and secure funds for the project, which Caltrans says will ease congestion on Highway 108.   

Funding will come from the state Corridor Mobility Improvement Account created by Proposition 1B in 2006 and the state Transportation Improvement Program, the state’s main road funding mechanism.