January 5,2019
A public meet will be held Tuesday January 8 at 5:30PM at the Tulare council chambers on CalTrans’ proposal considering alternatives in construction of a south Tulare freeway interchange. The alternatives include re-construction of the existing Paige Ave interchange, as well as 2 other new alternatives south of Paige along Hwy 99.
Comments will be received by CalTrans by January 25, 2019.
• Alternative 1A would construct a new interchange at Commercial Avenue with auxiliary lanes and leave the Paige Avenue interchange on-ramp and off-ramp opened.
• Alternative 1C would construct a new interchange at Commercial Avenue and permanently close all existing ramps at the Paige Avenue interchange.
• Alternative 2 would construct a new interchange at Industrial Avenue and permanently close the Paige Avenue interchange.
• Alternative 3 would reconstruct the Paige Avenue interchange by widening existing local roads and replacing the existing bridge structure with a wider structure and realigning on- and off-ramps.
Alternative 1C and Alternative 2 would be built in two phases once funding is available. Phase 2 work for Alternative 1C and Alternative 2 would replace the existing the Paige Avenue overcrossing with a new structure to accommodate a four- lane roadway with shoulders and sidewalks.
The estimated project cost for Alternative 1A is $71,803,000. The estimated project cost for Alternative 1C, Phase 1 is $ 70,226,000 and Phase 2 is $24,085,000.
The estimated project cost for Alternative 2, Phase 1 is $79,019,000 and Phase 2 is $24,085,000.
The estimated project cost for Alternative 3, the Paige Ave option is $77,194,000 – the least expensive total.
Reconstruction of Paige would require some the businesses in the right of way to face the bulldozer including the motel on the east side of the freeway, a truck stop /gas station owned by Rocha Oil on the westside and the batch plant to the south.
Just what the public thinks about the alternatives may become clear at the meeting.
A CalTrans report says the Paige Avenue interchange and Paige Avenue/Laspina Street intersection currently operate at levels of service D and F during peak traffic periods. The intersections at the Paige Avenue interchange currently operate at levels of service C to F and will approach level of service F prior to 2047. Future increases in traffic volume at the Paige Avenue interchange will cause long delays and lead to excessive queuing at the existing off-ramps, with potential overflows of traffic onto the freeway mainline.
Sources say property owner Manuel Faria’s offer to donate land at either Commercial St or Industry St locations may help favor these alternatives of building a new interchange south of Paige. These locations would benefit the AgriCenter one the eastside of the freeway who has long wanted better Highway 99 access.Tulare hopes to use Measure R money to help match other funding to build the interchange.
But observers expect the work being discussed could be a decade off before concrete is poured. Long term traffic on 99 is going to be monumental and doing nothing is not a real alternative. Estimates are that average daily traffic will go from 68,500 vehicles in 2027 to 105,000 in 2047. That compares to 48,500 as of 2015.
Two truck stops
At Paige Ave two new truck stops,Loves and Flying J (Pilot) don’t seem to be too worried their interchange will close any time soon.
Flying J just closed escrow on their 14 acre building site in the past few days and hopes to reopen by summer right across Blackstone at Paige from rival Love’s. Together they have poured millions into development of their Paige interchange dependent projects that would appear to be impacted big time if their access to 99 was no more.