Highway 99 beautification to benefit county

Plans to “beautify” Highway 99, if brought to fruition, would benefit Tulare County, officials say.

Plans to “beautify” Highway 99, if brought to fruition, would benefit Tulare County, officials say.

A planning firm from Visalia submitted plans to the Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG) that could be incorporated along the county’s 54-mile stretch of Highway 99 to beautify the corridor, and make the county look more appealing.

“They were plans of what can be done with the view along the corridor,” said Ted Smalley, executive director of TCAG.

Smalley said the firm submitted the plans on their own accord, using their own funding.

Currently, the stretch of road through the county isn’t much to look at, featuring the backs of businesses and wrecking yards, said Lindsay City Council Member Pam Kimball. The proposal includes fencing and plants to shield ugly views and brighten the overall appearance.

“As widening occurs, it can be incorporated directly into the plan,” Smalley said.

Smalley said at some point Highway 99 will be widened and these plans could be incorporated, along with the use of drought-tolerant plants.

There are no official plans to start beautifying the area.

Local Projects

The Highway 65 widening project is expected to begin this year. The $16.5 million project will widen Highway 65 from Highway 190 to just south of Teapot Dome Avenue in Porterville to four lanes. Smalley said he expects construction to begin by the end of summer and take about 18 months.

Due to recent funding cuts, some projects may be put on hold. Kimball mentioned the cuts would likely affect the Spruce Avenue widening project, which would straighten the curve on Highway 65.

However, Smalley said that while the funding cut will likely delay the project, it’s not ready to proceed as it is now. “There’s not an environmental document for it and there still needs to be a set of public meetings,” he said.

Smalley also said the project would take years to complete once underway.

“But state funding is a challenge,” he said. “It could be delayed a few years. But even if the funding is better, it would be done in many phases over many years.”

The status of the roundabout at Highway 190 and Road 284 is unknown, but officials had said the project was planned for this year. Also, it is not known when or if Caltrans is going to smooth Highway 65 between Lindsay and Porterville.