With $46.6 million in funding approved by the state Transportation Commission June 27, CalTrans is wasting no time to begin work to widen Highway 99 to 6 lanes around the 99/198 interchange.”We hope to start the 4 mile stretch from the town of Goshen toward Caldwell as soon as November” say project manager Phillip Sanchez.
Sanchez says the Fresno CalTrans office has four segments of 99 being widened through Tulare County with the stretch from Kingsburg to Goshen well underway. Two others are programed to start up after this latest 4 mile segment that includes the Visalia airport frontage is completed, in about 2 and one half years.
The next leg south is Caldwell Ave to Tagus.
“Hopefully the funds will be there to continue the widening one after another.”
Tulare County Association of Governments director Ted Smalley credits a partnership with CalTrans that had kept design work and right of way acquisition ahead of construction monies to be ready to build whenever funds are available. Savings from some other regional projects help fund this one as bids continue to very competitive.
Construction of the widening at 99 at 198 will coordinate well with the completion of the 198 expressway between 99 and Hanford that will also improve connections and safety along the biggest crossroads in Tulare/Kings counties. The expressway should be complete this November after some delay over nesting birds say CalTrans.
Sanchez says Hwy 99 near198 gets an average of 53,000 vehicles a day of which about one quarter are big-rig trucks. That compares to around 39,000 vehicles a day in more rural parts of the county like around Pixley.
“We expect Hwy 99 traffic to double in the next 25 years.”
Bakersfield Highway 99 traffic far busier however with an average daily vehicle count of 142,000 he says.
Besides the safety factor, improving the freeway interchanges and highways around Visalia/Goshen should help move the large volume truck traffic in and out of the Visalia Industrial Park, a key draw for industry.
Coming in a few years, a new interchange at Betty Dr.