Amador County – Amador County Transportation Commission announced today that a public workshop has been set for Sept. 21 to look at the top two alternatives for a Pine Grove Corridor Improvement project.
ACTC and Caltrans host an open house 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21 at Pine Grove Elementary School. A presentation is at 6 p.m., and a workshop at 6:45 p.m.
ACTC’s board of directors voted unanimously Aug. 17 to take the advice of a Stakeholders’ Work Group that recommended moving forward with two different alternates.
One alternate is “fixing what we’ve got” on Highway 88 in Pine Grove, Program Manager Neil Peacock said at the time. It’s a “three-lane configuration with streetscape design, traffic calming, pedestrian crossings, access control, safety enhancements, and operational improvements such as beneficial side-streets.”
Peacock said it improves existing roads but does not give high capacity improvements Caltrans wants in a highway project, and Caltrans acceptance will be important. The through-town, three-lane improvement was estimated to cost $16.7 million to $27.4 million.
The second alternate is a Southern Bypass, from Climax Road to Mount Zion Road, estimated to cost $43.3 million to $71 million. Peacock said it would need Caltrans to “pony up another $50 million.”
At the Aug. 17 meeting, Caltrans District 10 representative John Gedney said the latter would probably not be approved. But he said with the through-town project, “the evaluation criteria developed in the outreach may carry it through.”
Some Stakeholders spoke, including Upcountry Community Council representative Gary Reinoehl, who said “our alternate concept was using a lot of local roads,” and “we hope you will support further funding to continue on this route.”
Jane Houton of Pine Grove Civic Improvement Club, urged ACTC to extend the contract of Leslie Bono of CH2M, to help present the projects to Caltrans and the community. Houton said they need a facilitator to revisit the history, for people to get up to speed.
Jay Oley of Pine Grove Community Service District said the two options “seem to be what people want.” He said “the public worries about how many people are going to lose their homes.” ACTC asked what he liked, and Oley said: “What I want is too expensive,” and even his “wife does not like it.
Planning Commissioner and Stakeholder Andy Byrne also urged retaining a facilitator, saying after 10 years of meetings, the next meeting needs to get community support.
“We need to take it to the people,” Byrne said. “Business owners don’t want to speak, and don’t want to look like a NIMBY, (Not In My Back Yard). He said “it is hard to get businesses on board because they do not want to take sides, and ACTC need to get public consensus.”
Byrne in Stakeholder meetings said consensus often came by asking delegates: “Who wants to fight for this option?” If no one spoke up, the alternate was eliminated. He said his preferred option also fell in that way.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
