The Holman Highway 68/State Route 1 Roundabout will be the first state highway roundabout in Monterey County. The intersection is a gateway to the Peninsula and provides access to the Community Hospital, Pebble Beach and City of Pacific Grove. The City of Monterey is the lead agency managing construction of project. To assist with construction, the City of Monterey has contracted with Harris and Associates for construction management services, Granite Construction, Inc. to perform the construction work, and the Transportation Agency to manage public outreach and education for the project.
Construction of the Holman Highway 68 Roundabout began in late August 2016 and is scheduled to be completed by October of 2017. Construction was slowed during the winter months do to excessive rainfall. In spite of the rain delays, many major construction milestones have already been met, including:
- Reconstructing the southbound Highway 1 off-ramp over Veterans Day Weekend 2016.
- Opening of the free right turn lane from the southbound Highway 1 off-ramp to westbound Holman Highway 68.
- Completing construction of the mini teardrop roundabout at the entrance to Pebble Beach during May 2017.
- Removal of the traffic signal on May 30th, with the intersection switched to yield control.
Currently, construction is focused on building the center island of the roundabout, which is expected to continue into early July. The current construction schedule calls for paving work to be completed in August prior to Classic Car Week, and all remaining work, including landscaping, to be completed in September and early October.
Since the summer of 2015 and continuing through construction, the Agency has been working with local stakeholders and community groups to inform the public about the project and what to expect during construction. Outreach activities have included presentations to the city councils of Monterey, Carmel, and Pacific Grove, holding community meetings, and presenting to neighborhood groups and community organizations. The Agency has created a project webpage, project videos and easy-to-read graphics to explain construction detours. Additionally, to receive timely information members of the public can subscribe to receive weekly project update emails and a text alert system to receive road and lane closure information. This information is available on the TAMC website at tamcmonterey.org.
An Interagency Task Force made up of key project stakeholders has been formed for the project, and meets monthly to problem-solve and provide direct input to the project team about construction. In addition to the Interagency Task Force, an Emergency Responders Working Group and a Travel Demand Management Working Group have been formed. The groups helped develop appropriate protocol for the construction team in case of emergency and establish a direct line of communication between the project team and emergency responders, and also identified strategies to mitigate congestion during road closures. Congestion mitigation strategies being implemented include:
- Discounted Bus Pass – during construction, Monterey-Salinas Transit will sell monthly bus passes at a heavy discount of $13/month (an 86% discount off a regular 31-day Basic Pass).
- Park & Ride - new or discounted lots are designed to encourage employees and visitors to park in downtown Monterey and ride the trolley or bus to Cannery Row and Lighthouse Avenue.
Throughout the remaining construction, Transportation Agency staff will continue to meet with stakeholder groups and provide updates on the project website (http://www.tamcmonterey.org), in newsletters, news releases, and via email.