Caltrans gives update on new projects
The California Department of Transportation will begin construction of eight projects in Imperial County this year, officials said Wednesday as part of the annual District 11 update.
The eight projects represent an investment in the region of almost $200 million. The projects are the final set of projects Caltrans initially announced in the fall of 2015 totaling $500 million.
The projects that are set to get underway this year include two different segments of Interstate 8 which already have two more segments currently in construction. A total of 48 miles of pavement will be replaced by reinforced concrete pavement, which is expected to result in a smoother ride for drivers and has a lifespan of 70 years.
Other projects include the repavement of 35 miles of Highway 78 from Brawley to just west of Ogilby Road and the widening of Highway 98 from two to four lanes from Ollie to Eady Avenue.
“It will serve our immediate needs related to the Calexico Port of Entry expansion,” said Imperial County Transportation Commission Executive Director Mark Baza. “We’re hopeful our congressional delegation will be able to get that phase two funding for our region.”
According to Corey Binns, Caltrans chief deputy director for District 11, between the five current ongoing projects and the eight that are about to get underway, seven are expected to be done by the end of the year with the final segments of I-8 ending in 2019. Baza said despite of the great benefits these projects will bring to the region, they are only a portion of the overall work that needs to take place to improve local infrastructure.
“While this funding is incredible for our cities and the county, it’s really not enough,” Baza said. “To keep up with this, we’ll need $1.2 billion over the next 10 years, and if we don’t do something about this problem it could easily increase to $3 billion in the next 20 years.”
In fact, the uncertainty related to the future funding of projects was the theme of the annual update provided by Caltrans.
Binns said that the desire from the federal government to invest $1 trillion in aging infrastructure nationwide could provide a good opportunity to seek some of that funding, but acknowledged that there aren’t many details available on how that money could be allocated.
He said that at the state level, there are some encouraging signs that the Governor and state legislators will continue to support transportation infrastructure.
“However the primary financing system which relies primarily on taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel is unsustainable, as they continue to shrink due to fuel efficiency and lower fuel usage,” Binns said. “What’s more, the gas tax has not been increased since 1994. We need to find a better way to maintain our infrastructure.” Baza said the county is ready to move forward with a variety of needed projects and only lack the funding for them. He noted that the next possible big project will be the reconstruction of the I-8 and Imperial Avenue interchange in El Centro, which will add a southbound connection on Imperial Avenue.
Additional information about all the projects can be viewed at www.dot. ca.gov/dist11