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In separate meetings in English and Spanish, officials from San Benito County and the state of California heard public comments regarding the long-awaited expansion of Hwy 25, which connects the cities of Gilroy and Hollister. These meetings marked the launch of a three-year environmental review process that will end with a final environmental impact report in 2027.
On Nov. 19 and 20, Caltrans, the San Benito Council of Governments (COG), and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, the agencies in charge of the expansion, hosted two English in-person meetings—the first in Hollister and the second in Gilroy.
“We are here to just listen,” said Binu Abraham, COG’s executive director, in the Nov. 19 meeting at Paine’s Restaurant in Hollister. “We want to hear what you have to say. What are your ideas? What are your concerns? What input do you want us to think about as we are putting together the design?”
The Spanish meeting was held online Nov. 20. As with the English meeting, the purpose was to explain to the public the project’s objectives and gather public comments. These scoping meetings, as they are called under the California Environmental Quality Act, are the first steps towards an environmental impact report.
State and county officials explained the six options they are studying for the expansion of Hwy 25.
- A four-lane highway that leaves the existing road as a two-lane subsidiary road
- A three-lane highway that leaves the existing road as a two-lane subsidiary road
- A two-lane highway that leaves the existing road as a two-lane subsidiary road
- A two-lane transit-exclusive expressway that leaves the existing road as a two-lane general traffic highway
- A transit-exclusive lane adjacent to existing railroad tracks that leaves the existing highway as a two-lane general traffic highway
- A new passenger rail service connecting Hollister to Gilroy and Caltrain
A seventh option—not doing anything at all—was also discussed but, as Caltrans staff said, the-do-nothing option is just for the decision-making officials to compare when they are evaluating the impacts of the project.
While fewer than 10 people were connected to the Spanish meeting and no one commented on the project, more than 30 people attended the Hollister meeting. The main concerns were about not being listened to, the loss of agricultural land, the loss and splitting of private property, and the potential for produce contamination.
There will be a fourth meeting on Nov. 25 online in English. Caltrans is accepting public comments, in both English and Spanish, until Dec. 12.
If all goes according to plan and the environmental impact report is finished by 2027, Hwy 25’s final design will be ready by winter 2029. Construction would begin in the summer of 2030 and be completed by fall 2032.
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