In 2015, the Agency received a California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Sustainable Communities Planning Grant to evaluate current and future travel patterns between Salinas and the Monterey Peninsula, the feasibility of affordable mid-term operational and capacity improvements in the SR 68 corridor in context to other planned regional improvements, and the potential for wildlife connectivity enhancements.
In December 2015, the Agency approved two contracts for consultant services to complete the plan, one to conduct the wildlife connectivity analysis, and the other to conduct the travel analysis and evaluate concepts for improving travel through the corridor. In spring of 2016, the Agency conducted a round of public outreach to determine what the public viewed as the most critical needs for the corridor. The outreach included a public workshop, meetings with local jurisdictions and stakeholder groups, and an interactive online forum for people to provide comments.
Through the summer and fall of 2016, the project team completed a detailed analysis of the existing conditions along the corridor. The findings of the analysis are included in technical memorandums that are published on the project website for public review at: www.sr68sceniccorridorstudy.com.
Since January of 2017, the project team has been developed three corridor concept alternatives for consideration. The corridor alternatives are listed below and details of each alternative were presented at the April 26, 2017 Board meeting:
- Concept 1: Installation of roundabouts at major intersections
- Concept 2: Selective segment widening with roundabouts at major intersections
- Concept 3: Integrated corridor management (adaptive signalization) with some widening
In addition to the corridor alternatives, the project team has produced a list of recommended improvements for wildlife connectivity which will be included in the final adapted corridor plan.
Since the April 26th Board meeting, the project team has been engaged in a second phase of public outreach to gather public input on the three alternatives. This outreach has included a public workshop on May 4th, meetings with community groups and stakeholders individually, and promotion of the interactive project website and online survey about the alternatives.
To date, more than 200 individuals have taken part in the online survey, and dozens more have participated in the survey during the May 4th workshop and in subsequent community presentations. This public feedback was used to help inform final recommendations for the SR 68 Scenic Highway Plan. Some of the key findings of the outreach include:
- Strong support for roundabouts in general and for roundabouts on Highway 68
- Support for keeping Highway 68 a scenic roadway
- Strong opinions for and against widening Highway 68 to four lanes
- A lack of support for Alternative 3
Based on the technical analysis and the public comments, Agency staff is recommending a slightly modified Concept 1 as the recommended option for inclusion in the SR 68 Scenic Highway Plan. The modified concept also recognizes the already approved plans for the Ferrini Ranch development, the Scenic Highway Plan notes that some widening may occur as a result of the approved Ferrini Ranch Development (currently in litigation). Finally, the modified concept recommends further studying the possibility for widening between San Benancio Road and Corral De Tierra Road as a design element of the future roundabouts to improve operations at that location.
The current project schedule calls for SR 68 Scenic Highway Plan to be released for public review in late July and presented to Agency Board for approval on August 23, 2017. Following adoption by the Board, the SR 68 Scenic Highway Plan will progress into the project development phase with Caltrans, which entails further analysis and refining the conceptual designs. Once the plan is further developed it will go through the Environmental Impact Review (EIR) process, and once the EIR is finalized TAMC and our partner agencies can begin a phased implementation of the Scenic Highway Plan.