Plans are moving forward to help I-680 traffic by adding auxiliary lanes between Diablo Road and Bollinger Canyon. The Danville Town Council last month approved of Caltrans administering the project in an effort to secure federal funding.
The project will add extra lanes from onramp to offramp in three different segments: Diablo Road to Sycamore Valley Road; Sycamore Valley to Crow Canyon Road; and Crow Canyon to Bollinger Canyon Road. The project will widen the existing shoulders of the freeway in both directions to form the auxiliary lanes, which will provide a longer distance for traffic to merge when entering the freeway as well as exiting. Another advantage is local traffic can use the freeway between two interchanges without joining the main traffic on the freeway.
“We hope by the end of the year, the project will be awarded,” said Paul Maxwell, deputy director of projects for the Contra Costa Transportation Authority.
The total construction cost for all three segments is estimated at $62 million, to be funded through a combination of state and local sources. Due to the state’s current budget crisis, it has not yet allocated its $9.1 million share, so agencies have looked elsewhere for funds. The federal Surface Transportation Program could contribute $5.5 million to add to local fee revenues and Measure C funds, the half-cent sales tax passed in 1998 to fund transportation improvements.
The advantage of having Caltrans administer the contract is that it has a higher probability of securing federal approvals in time to obtain federal funds under the Surface Transportation Program, according to the staff report. Caltrans would also be responsible for liability associated with the construction.
Councilman Newell Arnerich voiced concerns and questioned the additional cost of having Caltrans administer the contract, noting Caltrans “puts so many people on a project.”
“The Authority has a reputation for tracking spending,” said Maxwell. He added they are aware of the concerns of the town.
The Contra Costa Transit Authority held meetings in 2003 to address concerns of residents, but nonetheless Caltrans expects problems to arise once the work begins.
“We’re looking to hire a public relations firm to handle complaints in Danville,” said Mark Zabeneh, division chief from the Office of Project Management of Caltrans District 4, who is a Danville resident.
Soundwalls have already been relocated and extended for the project to mitigate traffic noise.
The segment between Sycamore Valley and Crow Canyon roads is about two miles in length, and has a higher accident rate than the state average, according to the initial project report. The auxiliary lanes will mean an extra lane for vehicles to maneuver around accidents and keep cars from turning off the freeway onto local streets, the report also noted.
