Amador County – The Amador County Transportation Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to endorse a hybridized three-lane, through-town improvement of the Pine Grove Highway 88 corridor, and also appointed Commissioner Keith Sweet to participate in the selection of a consultant and development of the scope for remaining studies.

Commissioners took a report from Planner and Program Manager Neil Peacock on recent developments of the Pine Grove Corridor Improvement Project, noting Caltrans, Tri-County cooperatives Calaveras and Alpine Counties, and California Transportation Commission all supported the 3-lane, through town, hybridized improvement, along with a 5-lane project. But he and Commissioners noted that the 5-lane was extremely undesirable, and would have too much impact to be feasible.

Commissioner John Plasse asked if the 5-lane project was an alternative that remained after ACTC sent the 17 project alternatives through Caltrans’ required “Context Sensitive Solutions” process, costing ACTC $450,000. Peacock said it did not make it through that process, which included multiple Stakeholder Working Group meetings, but it was returned to the list of projects by Caltrans because it meets all “purposes and needs” they seek in a project.

ACTC Executive Director Charles Field said not all divisions of Caltrans understand the Community Sensitive Solutions process, the new direction Caltrans is headed.

Caltrans District 10 representative John Gedney said some assessments of projects are very qualitative, not quantitative. He said it would be the prerogative of ACTC to bring forward a 3-lane hybrid project. Gedney said the 5-lane may be useful in a subsequent phase. It meets the letter of “purposes and needs,” but Caltrans understands it would not float, so “it’s a placeholder.” Gedney said the 3-lane originally was scrapped, but the Community Sensitive Solutions process brought it back.

Commissioner Richard Forster worried about whether a group that wants a maximum project, “ultimate project,” could bring it up during the environmental process, and force study of that alternate.

Peacock said all alternates are “ultimate projects,” and he was unsure whether to dismiss the $71 million South Bypass, but Gail Miller, who is a Caltrans “environmental expert said: Let it go.” Peacock said the biggest obstacle to a project alternative is excessive construction costs, although that also depends on the agency as to what it considers excessive.

Forster was more concerned that they get half-way or all the way through the environmental study and then have to go back and study the 5-lane alternate. Plasse said such an argument forced East Bay Municipal Utility District to scope impacts on the Mokelumne River for its 2040 Water Management Plan, after “the accusation that the lesser environmentally invasive alternative was not considered.”

Peacock said the 5-lane, through-town “would in fact have significant impacts.”

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