COG to apply for $5.5 Million grant for regional highway project
This article was written by BenitoLink intern Juliana Luna
At its Feb. 16 meeting, the Council of San Benito County Governments (COG) approved a grant letter requesting $5.5 million from the Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program for the Hwy 152 Trade Corridor Project.
The highway serves as a major corridor connecting Silicon Valley and northern San Benito County to the Central Valley.
The State Route 152 Trade Corridor Project, under the San Benito County & Santa Clara County Mobility Partnership, will realign the highway between Highways 101 and 156, and construct an eastbound truck climbing lane over Pacheco Pass.
The project’s cost is $540 million, according to COG agenda packet.
The Mobility Partnership is considering two route options (alignment #2 and #3 in the above map), though the exact routes have yet to be determined. The easternmost route (alternative 3) connects Highway 156 and Highway 25 near Fairview Road and east of Shore Road. The westernmost route (alternative 2) would connect the highways near the Grove and west of Shore Road.
The project would replace Highway 152 as the main route for trucks and connect it to Highway 25. The corridor aims to improve the movement of goods between the Central Valley and northern Central Coast regions, improve commuter routes between the Central Valley and employers in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas, and improve regional and recreational travel.
Veronica Lezama, transportation planning manager said if awarded, the funds will go into part of the programmatic environmental impact report/environmental impact statement for environmental studies.
The program evaluates the following:
- A wide range of individual projects
- Implementation over a long timeframe
- Implementation across a large geographic area
In addition, COG staff proposed a planning schedule for the Hwy 25 Expressway Conversion Project. The staff requested a 6-month period for a comprehensive evaluation to analyze all aspects of Hwy 25, including prior studies, and propose a strategic plan for going forward.
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