Highway 99 rehabilitation begins prep phase in Live Oak
Work on $37.3M project is expected to start in April 2020
Pacific Gas and Electric Company spokesperson Paul Moreno confirmed this week that construction preparation has begun on the $37.3 million local-, stateand federally-funded Highway 99 Caltrans streetscape safety and rehabilitation project scheduled to run about a 1-½ mile stretch through Live Oak.
Moreno said PG&E is moving overhead power lines under ground along Highway 99 as part of the improvement projects. That prep work will continue through December, forcing a shoulder closure for all traffic.
Caltrans District 3 public information officer Steve Nelson said in an email that barring
any unexpected delays, construction of the project should begin about April 2020, with an expected end date approximately October 2021.
Nelson said the project involves excavating the roadway and replacing it with a new 40-year life pavement, while adding new sidewalks, and onstreet parking that’s compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. In addition, new street lighting, benches, bike racks, trash receptacles, landscaped areas and trees will be added along the sidewalk.
Nelson said the highway will also become four lanes from the intersection of Highway 99 and Ash Street to 99 and Adeline Avenue – a little over a one-mile stretch according to Google Maps – while reducing left turns across traffic at non-signalized intersections.
Existing signals at the intersections of Elm Street
and Pennington Road will be upgraded with LED lights and synchronized to improve traffic flow, Nelson said.
Nelson said a new signal will also be implemented at Kola Street.
The new pavement, known as “continuous reinforced concrete pavement,” will run from the intersections of Elm Street and Pennington Road, Nelson said.
“This will handle the truck traffic that these intersections experience now and in the future,” he
said.
During the work phase of the project, Nelson said traffic flow will not be diverted and there will always be two lanes open.
Businesses will remain open and flaggers in place directing traffic during work hours, he said.
“There will be advisory electronic message boards placed on 99 well ahead of the project providing construction information for traffic and information on alternate routes for bypassing the work zone,” Nelson said.