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The San Benito Council of Governments (COG), an agency formed by the cities of Hollister and San Juan Bautista and the San Benito County to deal with regional issues, including transportation needs, approved a study of the best way to improve Hwy 25.
The project, which is also supported by Caltrans and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, aims to upgrade the 10-mile road that connects San Benito and Santa Clara counties.
At its Sept. 19 meeting, COG agreed to allow Caltrans to analyze seven alternatives and present the best option to the county. “This is to do a study of the feasibility of these alternatives,” said COG Executive Director Binu Abraham.
The analysis will allow Caltrans to prepare a Notice of Preparation, which is the first step in the environmental planning process. This process is funded through Measure G, which voters approved in 2018 to create a one-cent sales tax for the purpose of improving transportation in the county.
Seven alternatives were presented at a public workshop on Sept. 13.
- Not building anything
- Building a four-lane highway and leaving the existing one as a two-lane subsidiary road
- Building a three-lane highway and leaving the existing one as a two-lane subsidiary road
- Building a two-lane highway and leaving the existing one as a two-lane subsidiary road
- Building a two-lane transit-exclusive expressway and leaving the existing road as a two-lane general traffic highway
- Building a transit-exclusive lane adjacent to existing railroad tracks and leaving the existing highway as a two-lane general traffic highway
- Creating a new passenger rail service connecting Hollister to Gilroy and Caltrain
Abraham and the council members said that considering all of these options was their legal obligation.
“Without all this, we would put the county at risk of delaying the project through litigation,” said San Benito County Supervisor Angela Curro, who’s also a member of COG.
The proposal was unanimously approved.
“Highway 25 is not dead,” Curro said. “We have been working within the law to get it done.”
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