Day: August 15, 2018

Accelerated work on Highway One Bridges

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

District:    05

Contact:   Susana Z. Cruz (bilingual) or Colin Jones

Phone:      (805) 549-3138 or (805) 549-318

Caltrans Accelerates Repairs on State Route 1 in Monterey County Due to SB 1 Funds

Repairs to Eight Aging Bridges on State Route 1 Will Improve Safety

MONTEREY COUNTY — Caltrans continues repair work to eight bridges on State Route 1 from Willow Creek to Garrapata Creek due to funds from Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.

“This route hugs the scenic coastline, serving the tourists and local residents along the Big Sur Coast who depend on this busy north-south road,” said Caltrans Director Laurie Berman.   “Safety improvements to Highway 1 now are key for motorists to be able to enjoy safer and   smoother travel for years to come.”

Four to five million people visit the Big Sur area each year, with most traveling down the iconic Pacific Coast Highway, also known as State Route 1.

“We are continuing to make great progress on delivering projects under Senate Bill 1 (SB 1),” said Caltrans District 5 Director Tim Gubbins. “The public will benefit greatly from this eight-bridge project that makes much-needed repairs to these deteriorating structures.”

This $4.4 million bridge repair project has been awarded to American Civil Constructors West Coast LLC of Benicia, California, and is unrelated to work to repair the roads that were affected by massive area rockslides. Crews will fill potholes and repave all eight bridges. Work began in early July and motorists will continue to encounter up to 20-minute, one-way traffic controls overnight Monday through Thursday from 7:00 p.m. to 6 a.m., and Friday morning from midnight to 6 a.m. Daytime hours Monday through Thursday are 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.Motorists are encouraged to plan ahead and Be Work Zone Alert.

The work schedule is subject to change due to traffic incidents, weather, availability of equipment and/or materials and/or construction-related issues. More information and updates on projects can be found at http://www.dot.ca.gov/d5/ or on Twitter via@CaltransD5.

SB 1 provides an ongoing funding increase of about $1.8 billion annually for the maintenance and rehabilitation of the state highway system. SB 1 funds will enable Caltrans to fix more than 17,000 lane miles of pavement, 500 bridges and 55,000 culverts by 2027.

Caltrans is committed to conducting its business in a fully transparent manner and detailing its progress to the public. For complete details on SB 1, visithttp://www.rebuildingca.ca.gov/.

 

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                                Garrapata and Limekiln Bridges on State Route 1 in Monterey.

 

 

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Jim Shivers

Caltrans District 5

Public Information Office

(805) 549-3237

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Fracking on CA public lands

Now: Speak out against fracking on public lands in California today!

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Bakersfield, Calif. – The Trump Administration today (actually 8/8/18) launched a 30-day public comment period on the environmental and public health impacts of hydraulic fracking in central California. The move is the first step in a process that will decide whether to allow the controversial oil extraction technique across 1.6 million acres of federal public land and mineral rights in Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Kern, and neighboring counties.

Last Week’s announcement – published in the Federal Register – was prompted by a 2015 lawsuit filed by Los Padres ForestWatch and the Center for Biological Diversity, represented by Earthjustice. The lawsuit alleged that the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) failed to consider the impacts of fracking as part of the BLM’s update of its Resource Management Plan for federal lands within the jurisdiction of the agency’s Bakersfield Field Office.

The groups prevailed in 2016 when a judge concluded that BLM failed to adequately analyze the impacts of fracking across vast swaths of public land in the region. The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, based in Los Angeles, ordered the agency to evaluate those impacts in a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. In a settlement agreement with ForestWatch and the Center, the BLM agreed to not issue any new leases for oil drilling in the region until the supplemental report is complete.

You can find the rest of this article at: https://lpfw.org/trump-administration-begins-process-to-reopen-1-6-million-acres-in-california-to-oil-drilling-and-fracking/

The BLM’s comment deadline closes on September 7, 2018. To submit comments, visit LPFW.org/fracking. You can also send your comments directly to the BLM.