Cohasset Road widening project resumes Friday

CHICO » Construction is set to begin Friday on the Cohasset Road widening project in Chico. The city said in a news release Wednesday delays are expected as construction takes place.

The project will be Phase 3 of the city’s project to improve Cohasset Road which previously saw Phases 1 and 2 completed in 2008 and 2009. The first two phases included redoing the roadway from Airpark Boulevard to Ryan Avenue and reconstruction of the Sheep Hollow Bridge.

Phase 3 will complete the construction planned from the Sycamore Creek Bridge to Ryan Avenue near the Chico Municipal Airport with widening and improvement of Cohasset Road from two to four lanes from the Sycamore Creek Bridge to Airpark Boulevard and include intersection and bike path lighting as well as bike path, drains and landscaping improvements.

Construction of the project is being completed by Vanguard Construction, a contractor of the city. Funding for the final portion of the project comes from a $13.9 million Economic Development Administration grant.

“The Chico Municipal Airport area has been one of the city’s noted economic development opportunities and as we continue our efforts to return commercial air service to Chico, this project, along with other infrastructure projects such as the Taxiway Reconstruction Project, will greatly assist the city in attracting a commercial carrier,” said Public Works Engineering Department Interim Director Robert Murdoch in the news release.

Murdoch added Cohasset Road is in need of drain improvements and congestion relief which he said the completion of Phase 3 will help with.

The improvements are also expected to increase access and decrease incident response times for Cal Fire-Butte County and other response agencies using Chico Municipal Airport as an emergency staging area.

Because of construction, the city said access will be subject to traffic controls, temporary delays, detours and closures in order to accommodate construction crews and equipment.

The city also encourages drivers to plan for delayed traffic times and proceed with caution when driving through the construction zone.

For more information on the Cohasset Road project visit https://chico.ca.us/cohasset-road-widening.