After several years of planning, the $2.7 million Graham Hill Road improvement project is set to begin at the end of the month.
On Tuesday, Jan. 18, a small contingent of valley residents gathered at San Lorenzo Valley High School for an informational meeting with the county planners in charge of the changes.
The improvement plans call for widening the roadway entering Felton to allow 3 feet of shoulder on each side; dramatically reducing the depth of adjoining drainage ditches by modernizing the often-problematic drainage system; and adding a 200-foot left-turn pocket outside of Roaring Camp Railroads.
Santa Cruz County Senior Civil Engineer Russell Chen said initial tree removal will begin Jan. 31, but the roadwork itself will wait until April 15, when the county’s winter grading rules end.
Biologists will be present at all times during the roadwork, Chen said, to ensure the safety of rare native bird nesting sites and native beetle populations.
The tricky part, Chen said, is that when crews start digging to widen the right of way, they will have to excavate around the existing utility poles before they can be moved.
Despite that, Chen said he foresees no major power disruptions due to the construction.
Work will take place between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays, with traffic managers on hand between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Assistant Director of Public Works Steve Wiesner said that while crews will try to keep one lane open for traffic with a flagger or a pilot car, he strongly advises seeking an alternative route.
“We’ve tried to do as much public outreach as we could,” Wiesner said.
The project is scheduled for completion at the end of the year, but Wiesner said that if there are no problems, he could envision the work being done as early as October.
The improvements had been on the drawing board for several years, Wiesner said, beginning with a more ambitious plan that called for bike lanes, acceleration lanes and turn pockets at both Grandview and Summit avenues, in addition to Roaring Camp.
Financial constraints and environmental concerns derailed the original plan and precipitated the final plan, which Wiesner said comes in at about $2.7 million in state and federal money.
Wiesner said the project gained momentum due in part to a recent drop in the price of asphalt, which he said shaved roughly half a million dollars off the overall cost.
“We’re actually able to afford this project because of the down economy,” he said.
Wiesner said that all environmental studies have been completed and a contractor has been hired.
“We’re basically ready to go.”
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