Holtville gets new bus shelter via Caltrans
HOLTVILLE – California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) broke ground on a Clean California project to install shaded bus shelters and median landscape improvements in Imperial County on Wednesday, March 22, in Holtville.
Located directly in front of Holtville City Hall at Fifth Street and Holt Avenue, the new bus shelter is one of seven shaded bus shelters and five median landscape improvement projects to be installed throughout Imperial County by Caltrans.
These new bus shelters are a part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s multiyear $1.2 billion effort led by Caltrans to transform public spaces, create thousands of jobs, remove trash, and engage communities in beautification efforts across the state, according to a press release from Caltrans.
The press release touted the installation of these shelters in the Imperial Valley region as a collaboration with the state, transit authority and the community to make transit services a more viable option for all.
To reach this end, Caltrans said they are spending $2.2 million in Imperial County on these 12 infrastructure projects, with an additional $1.6 million on the Calexico Gateway project, which will feature a travel center according to the Calexico Gateway Center Brochure.
Imperial County District 5 Supervisor John Hawk, Holtville Mayor Virginia Ward, Imperial County Transportation Commission Executive Director David Aguirre, Caltrans District 11 Director Gustavo Dallarda, and District Rep for California State Senator Stephen Padilla’s office Jaysel Mendoza all gathered on Wednesday to break ground on the project.
“As a disadvantaged community, there are many residents in the City of Holtville that rely on public transportation as a means to get to work, to shop and make it to medical appointments,” Holtville Mayor Virginia Ward said during the groundbreaking ceremony. “We are happy that this funding was extended to our fine city to help enhance this vital transportation element.”
This groundbreaking kicked off a Caltrans’ 11 days of Clean California Community Day events, according to a second Caltrans press release. Clean California Community Day events is “a statewide movement to bring people together and think about how we can all make a difference in our neighborhoods, in Imperial and San Diego counties,” the March 22 release reads.
According to Wednesday press release, these events are a “Spring into Action” period to “encourage and empower Californians” to beautify their neighborhoods, culminating in a public commUNITY Bike, Walk, and Beautify event on a closed portion of State Route 15, on Saturday, March 25.
“Caltrans’ vision is a brighter future for all, and our mission is to provide a reliable transportation network that serves all people,” Caltrans District Director Gustavo Dallarda said during the groundbreaking in Holtville.
“This means using our resources to support vibrant communities that enhance quality of life, local economic development, and environmental preservation,” he said.