Upgrades for 190
Enhanced safety features, detours on the way
As the median construction project continues along Highway 190 near Porterville College, drivers can expect to experience detours off and on in the upcoming months.
The construction project to replace a mile-long section of oleanders in the highway’s median with concrete barriers and other upgrades has been going on since May this year.
The oleanders, which stretched from east of South Jaye Street to just west of South Plano Street, have already been removed, and the first section of concrete barriers will be installed approximately 235 feet east of South Prospect Street and continue eastward to approximately 840 feet west of South Jaye Street.
The second barrier will begin approximately 775 feet east of South Jaye Street and end approximately 570 feet west of South Plano Street.
During this phase of the phase of the process, Caltrans said drivers will likely experience single lane closures along the four-lane stretch of the highway.
Later, the approach guardrails at the Highway 65 and Highway 190 cloverleaf and the South Porterville Overhead over Main St. will be removed and replaced with the current standard guardrails or crash cushions.
In order to support the weight of the concrete median barrier on the South Porterville Overhead, the existing concrete bridge deck will need to be partially removed and reconstructed.
During this phase of the project, east and west bound traffic on Highway 190 will we intermittently detoured on working days that require a ramp closure.
A subsequent landscape project will plant new oleanders at various locations in the Caltrans right-of-way within the limits of this project.
The entire project is estimated to be completed by October 2018 with an estimated cost of $2.2 million.
Project manager Curt Hatton said, “No major closures are anticipated for this project, though there could potentially be some congestion during single-lane or ramp closures.”
Caltrans has been working on removing the oleander bushes planted in between the highway and replacing them with concrete median barriers to improve traffic safety by preventing cross median collisions.
For more than 50 years oleanders have been planted in the medians and roadsides of State routes within the Central Valley. The evergreen shrubs flower nearly year round, resisting the Central Valley climate and acting as a barrier to oncoming headlight glare at night.
Caltrans asks motorists to be cautious and aware of personnel inside work zones and to slow for the cone zone.
Those who plan to travel down Highway 190 in Porterville during construction days stay alert by following Caltrans Twitter account on social media by regional location at http://www. dot.ca.gov/paffairs/social-media.html.