This artcle was written by BenitoLink intern Ashlyn Manninen. Lea este artículo en español aquí.
The Highway 25 improvement project will rebuild a section of the two-lane highway between San Felipe Rd and the Highway 25/101 interchange—around 11 miles total. The project is being managed by the Council of San Benito County Governments (COG) in partnership with Caltrans and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA).
COG and the County Board of Supervisors held a town hall meeting on the evening of Oct. 23 to discuss their plans and the status of the improvement project. Around 40 people were in attendance, including concerned community members and elected city officials.
Binu Abraham, COG’s executive director, explained that the project was launched in 2016, and that Caltrans determined for safety reasons that it would be better to construct a new highway rather than fixing the existing road. Caltrans decided a four-lane expressway would be the best option.
At that time, Caltrans performed some remediation, such as consolidating the number of driveways that had access to the highway. Some shoulder work was done and the new highway’s route was aligned. After the work was done, Caltrans determined it would take a lot of money to complete the project—money the agency did not have—so the project was halted.
In 2018, a sales tax measure designed to fund transportation projects, Measure G, was approved by voters. This would generate an estimated $485 million dollars over 30 years, with approximately half earmarked for Highway 25.
In 2020, SB 743 was passed by the California Senate and signed into law, changing the way transportation and its impacts are measured. Abraham said previously, transportation was measured by the number of cars on the road, and the new metrics measured miles traveled. In 2021, the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure (CAPTI) was adopted, from that time any project receiving state funding has had to align with the climate goals of the state. The passing of SB 743 and CAPTI increased the cost of the improvement project.
Fast forward to 2024—Caltrans and COG finally have an agreement about the steps that need to be taken, and a clear understanding of the process that is set by the state.
There are six alternatives under consideration. The first alternative is a four-lane expressway such as Caltrans proposed in 2016. The other alternatives include a three- lane expressway with a reversible lane, an option with a HOV lane, a 2 lane expressway with a bus shoulder lane, a 2 lane expressway only for buses, and even commuter rail service. All alternative plans would turn the current highway into a frontage road.
The lead agency on the environmental studies part of the project is Caltrans. The project is currently at the project study area, and this process will continue until 2027. From there, the next step is design, and then construction, which is currently planned to begin in 2030.
Around $242 million from Measure G will be going towards the project, and some impact fees are expected from local developments. The rest of the money for the project will have to come from federal and state funding.
Dolores Morales, Hollister City Council member, took to the podium, and explained that funders are looking for a united front. “That is key,” Morales said, “because if we’re not united, they’re not interested in giving us money because we’re not going to be able to get anything done.”
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