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With the thrust of golden shovels into the earth, local and state officials ceremoniously kicked off the second phase of the East Sonora Bypass project Tuesday. Caltrans hosted the special event to celebrate the project, for which work is currently underway and expected to continue through July 2014.
Representatives from Caltrans, the City of Sonora and Tuolumne County all spoke during the ceremony held at the project headquarters on Mono Way, praising the involved agencies for cooperation and perseverance through the project’s planning phases. “This takes so much cooperation from so many groups to put a project like this together,” said Darin Grossi, executive director for the Tuolumne County Transportation Council. “You’ve got to have consistent leadership to see a project like this through.” The three-phase, multi-year bypass project will have cost $53 million when done, according to Caltrans. The three phases include: • Phase 1 — which runs from Sanguinetti Road in Sonora to Peaceful Oak Road. It was completed in 2002. • Phase 2 — a two-lane highway which will run from Peaceful Oak to Via Este Road. This is the phase currently under construction. • Phase 3 — a two-lane highway which will connect Via Este to Highway 108 at Sunshine Road. One piece of the project — two ramps at Peaceful Oak — had to be removed due to increased costs. However, Grossi said during the ceremony that planners will continue to pursue those ramps as a separate project after the bypass’ second phase. Grossi said he expects the ramps to be one of several major road construction groundbreakings to take place locally over the next decade. Tuesday’s was the first in the last 10 years, Grossi said, adding that’s “way too long to go.” The state and TCTC, which includes members from both the city and county, have been working together to plan and secure funds for the project. 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.
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