Highway 1 gets worse every year; any plans to repair it soon?

QAre there plans to widen Highway 1 between Salinas Road and Castroville Boulevard? This is a twolane chokepoint between Santa

Cruz and Monterey counties that gets worse every year. It will be expensive skirting the Moss Landing power plant and harbor without irreparably damaging the marshes and Elkhorn Slough. — Steve Throner

AIt’s going to remain a major chokepoint for a long time. There are no current widening plans for this segment, due to the sensitive habitat, high cost and coastal commission concerns. There is a study looking into alternatives to widening, such as a new causeway or widening parallel county routes. But none of these options are guaranteed either.

QAfter driving to the coast via Highway 156 from Hollister, I am shocked this is still a twolane road with no dividers. We passed semi after semi barreling through. It seems to be heavily traveled by commercial trucks. What is going on? I’m surprised there aren’t

more accidents.

— Kathy Furtado, Hollister

AThe project requires a full rebuild of the interchange at Highway 101, so the total cost is high — over $388 million. That’s a big stretch for a small county such as Monterey.

So for now, a small part of the original project is planned at Castroville Boulevard and Highway 156, where there is currently a stoplight. It’s an important safety project. The interchange hopefully will end T-bone accidents and rear-end collisions. This also will make it safer by getting trucks out of Castroville, with a new 156 connection to Blackie Road. It could be done within five years.

The $43 million interchange is funded with $30 million from a sales tax approved by Monterey County voters in 2016. The $13 million balance of funding is anticipated to be funded by the new gas tax.

Tolling on 156 is on hold for now. The latest studies show more money is needed than toll bonds can provide.

QWhen will more merging lanes be

added on Highway 1 through Santa Cruz? Any new pavement should help. — Lance Rios, Santa Cruz

AThe Highway 1 Auxiliary Lanes Project between Bay Avenue/Porter Street and State Park Drive is in the environmental phase now. Give it another few years. Right now it can take an hour to cover 18 miles on Highway 1.

QThe other thing about the goats weed-eating on Highway 1 is that they can go places a normal piece of machinery cannot. They are smaller and more nimble than the machines, and can safely handle the steep grades where it’s not safe to place the machines. The downside is that seeds may pass through the goats and the plants actually be spread further than they were.

— Melinda Flick,

Campbell

AOur 14-month-old grandson proves that every day.