Amador County – The Amador County Transportation Commission will get a presentation next week on what staff sees as the top 3 proposals for the Highway 88 Improvement Project, and could take action to eliminate 10 other alignments found to be less realistic or popular.

ACTC planner and project manager Neil Peacock said the commission “may take action on recommendations regarding the elimination of various alternatives” for the Highway 88 “Pine Grove Improvement Project that have been received to date from the project’s advisory committee”, “as well as issues, related to the project’s next phase.”

Peacock said Monday there were originally 13 alternatives for the road’s improvement, and staff will recommend elimination of 10 of those. The top 3 include the construction of a Northern Bypass, the widening of Highway 88 “Through Town”, or building a new “One-Way Couplet” highway south of town. The One-Way Couplet would convert existing Highway 88 into one west-bound, one-way road through Pine Grove, and then build a new east-bound road, starting just south of Pine Grove, at the foot of the hill.

The “Northern Bypass” option would go partially through the Caltrans maintenance yard, through the ACES transfer station, and part of the Crestview neighborhood. It would cross Volcano Road, pass around the backside of the elementary school, and come out near Mount Zion Road.

The “through town” expansion would widen the road to 4 traffic lanes and a center turn lane. It would be required to be built on an 80-foot right-of-way, measuring 40 feet from the center line of Highway 88 on either side of the road.

In November, the Pine Grove Community Council proposed a 14th alternative, to build both Northern and Southern “one-way couplets,” while leaving existing Highway 88 to become a more, small-town Main Street type of road.

Peacock said Alternative 14 had not yet been evaluated, needed further study and was not part of recommendations for the commission. The proposal will be given the same evaluation as other alternatives. He said building two roads could double the project cost and double the right-of-ways needed.

The project has a limit of $40 million, Peacock said, and “$33 million to $45 million “is the ballpark were looking at right now,” for the three alternatives he will recommend, but they all need more focused analysis.

The public is encouraged to attend and will be given an opportunity to provide further input directly to the commission. The meeting is 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 19 at the County Admin Building, at 810 Court Street in Jackson.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.