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According to state and Tuolumne County transportation officials, crews will begin work next week on the Highway 108 bypass project, and construction is expected to continue through July 2014, or 395 work days.
A special groundbreaking ceremony celebrating the $53 million project was scheduled for today, but was postponed due to rainy weather. Officials said it will likely be rescheduled in a couple weeks.
The multi-year project is in its second of three phases and will include construction of two bridges and installation of a signal light. Once complete, the second phase will run for about two miles from Peaceful Oak Road, where the first phase ended, to Via Este.
Angela DaPrato, a spokesperson for Caltrans with the District 10 office, said in an email to The Union Democrat that construction crews will make all efforts to minimize effects on local traffic and businesses during construction.
“Most work will be done on the new alignment with minimized impact to (Highway) 108 and local roads. When work must be done at local roads, Caltrans will avoid peak hours and rush hours for the work,” DaPrato stated.
Caltrans and the Tuolumne County Transportation Council have been working on this phase of project since the first phase was completed in 2004. The state initially announced in 2006 that Phase 2 was fully funded and set for construction to run from 2010 through 2012. However, the project stalled due to state funding issues before officials were able to find available funds from multiple sources.
Money was secured through the Proposition 1B-created Corridor Mobility Improvement Account and a 2006 voter-approved transportation bond. But not before a few cutbacks led to a re-design, with the updated plan excluding two entrance and exit ramps. State and local planners have said they will try to find funding to add those ramps after the second phase.
DaPrato said this was not an isolated incident, as the state has tightened budgets in a stressed economy.
“State funding issues have played a role in many state highway projects,” she stated.
The bypass project also required an extensive archaeological excavation. Last spring, excavators worked for weeks to unearth American Indian artifacts located on the project site that included stone tools, grading rocks and organic material.
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. Caltrans says it will ease congestion on Highway 108.
Caltrans awarded a $22.9 million contract for the second phase of the bypass job to Teichert/MCM Construction in January.
According to Caltrans, there is no timeline or funding yet for the project’s third phase.
Contact Chris Caskey at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 588-4527. |