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Caltrans opened sections of the new Highway 156 expressway Oct. 11. The access to the new alignment from Union Road was also opened.
The Union Road and Hwy 156 intersection was closed for about two months as part of the improvement project.
The old alignment will be improved before it is turned into a frontage road.
The Hwy 156 Improvement Project adds five new miles of a four-lane expressway along Hwy 156 between The Alameda in San Juan Bautista and Hollister, and is expected to conclude in Summer 2025.
The focus of the expansion, which originally was estimated to cost $105.9 million and was fully funded, is to relieve traffic congestion on Hwy 156 and “reduce peak hour traffic congestion and save millions in vehicle operating and accident costs,” according to the Caltrans website. The project is funded through local traffic impact fees and the statewide transportation and improvement program.
Caltrans estimates the project will save $34.6 million in accident and vehicle operating costs over 20 years; provide a $102.8 million return on investment in the same period; and reduce congestion by 1,902 hours daily and 694,257 hours annually.
Caltrans contracted with Teichert Construction, a Sacramento-based company, for the project, which has been delayed several times because of utility relocation and right-of-way acquisition agreement complications. It was first set to begin in November 2020.
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