San Benito County Local News: Transportation

In the coming weeks, the City of Hollister will begin construction on new road projects that are part of its “large-scale roadway improvement program,” city officials said.

The consent agenda for the San Juan Bautista City Council meeting on April 15, which ordinarily would be passed with little comment, proved to be the source of a lengthy discussion over several issues, particularly street closure times for the April 25 Rib Cookoff.

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors brought back to life a discussion about changing the name of the county’s main artery, Highway 25, to Pinnacles National Park Highway.

Starting later this month, commuters and other motorists navigating U.S. 101 through Gilroy will see permanent road closures due to construction on the freeway’s interchange with State Route 25, according to the Valley Transportation Authority.

Starting later this month, commuters and other motorists navigating U.S. 101 through Gilroy will see permanent road closures due to construction on the freeway’s interchange with State Route 25, according to the Valley Transportation Authority.

It has been a full year since the “turbo roundabout” at the intersection of Highway 25 and Highway 156 near Hollister was fully completed, forever changing the intersection of the two highways. The turbo roundabout, uniquely designed for four-lane highways, is the first of its kind in California and the second in the US.

The new Union Bridge, years in the making, opened March 20 to traffic, bicycles and pedestrians.

Like many rural areas, San Benito County is at a disadvantage when it must compete with urban areas for state funds on projects such as the Hwy 25 expansion. However, a potential change in the funding criteria gives local leaders hope that rural counties will have a better chance to get money in the future.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has scheduled a series of public meetings on the Highway 101 and State Route 25 interchange project. The purpose of the meetings is to provide commuters with more information about the changes coming to the busy intersection.

A series of public meetings is scheduled to provide commuters with more information about the changes coming to the Highway 101 and State Route 25 Interchange.

On Feb. 21, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors held a special meeting at Paine’s Restaurant in Hollister with state and federal representatives. The goal was to seek their support for some of the board’s priorities, including the widening of Hwy 25, housing, tourism and the condition of the county’s jails.