Trees make way for bypass

2012 COPYRIGHT UNION DEMOCRAT

Crews are cutting down dozens of trees along Highway 108 to prepare for work on the East Sonora Bypass.

Darin Grossi, executive director of the Tuolumne County Transportation Council, said earlier this week that the tree work should be finished no later than Wednesday. Work on the second phase of the $65 million bypass project is not officially scheduled to resume again until June 15, Grossi said.
 

 “The contractor is trying to negotiate with Caltrans to do some work in the meantime. Nothing is for sure yet,” Grossi said.

Caltrans awarded a $22.9 million contract for the second phase of the bypass job to Teichert/MCM Construction last month. 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 multi-year project’s second 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.

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 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.

Contact Chris Caskey at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 588-4527.