The Transportation Agency of Monterey County (TAMC) will hold a public hearing on Thursday, September 26th, to consider what actions to take about the proposed Prunedale Bypass. The hearing will be held at Sherwood Hall, 940 North Main Street, in Salinas. The hearing starts at 6:30 p.m. Please plan to attend this important hearing. The decision made by TAMC will affect everyone in Monterey County. The "Prunedale Bypass" isn't just about Prunedale.

Highway projects cost a lot of money. And, of course, there isn't enough money to go around. The current proposal is to spend over $600 million to build a brand new freeway in the Prunedale area, bypassing the current Highway 101 corridor through Prunedale. That project is called the "Prunedale Bypass." This is only one of several alternatives being considered. There is also a non-bypass alternative. The state will fund a very significant share of whatever project is chosen--but the rest must come from local funds.

If the proposed "Bypass" alternative is adopted, very little money will probably be available for other transportation and road projects in Monterey County. Virtually no other major road projects will likely be constructed during the next twenty years. This includes significant improvements to Highway 68, to Highway One in the Sand City-Seaside area, Highway One safety and road improvements in the area from Salinas Road to Castroville, and the widening of Highway 156.

Everyone in Monterey County is affected by the decision that TAMC will make on the Prunedale Bypass, because if the "Bypass" alternative is adopted, most other road improvement projects will probably not be built. Safety improvements in the Prunedale area are absolutely vital! The question is whether the proposed "Bypass" is the best way to achieve safety objectives. A number of operational and safety improvements are already under construction in the Prunedale area. In addition, an alternative to the "Bypass" option is to improve safety on the existing Highway 101 corridor through Prunedale. The cost of making safety improvements on the existing corridor is estimated at $210 to $330 million dollars, as opposed to the $600 million plus required for the "Bypass."

If the safety option were chosen, instead of the "Bypass" option, more money will be available for road improvements in other parts of Monterey County. The upcoming decision by TAMC will have extremely important impacts throughout Monterey County. If you would like to "weigh in," the public hearing scheduled for Thursday, September 26th, from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at Sherwood Hall in Salinas, is your chance to make your views known. For more information about the hearing, please call TAMC 831-775-0903.

Posted 09/25/02