36% Highway Safety Improvement Program Grant; 6% Proposition 1B Funds; and 58% Martinez Area of Benefit Funds.
Alhambra Valley Road is a rural road with winding turns and poor sight distance in some locations. The purpose of the project is to minimize the potential for injuries from vehicles running off the road along these two segments of Alhambra Valley Road. The segments are located at Rancho La Boca Road (Site 1) and approximately 300 feet west of Ferndale Road (Site 2). The project will improve these segments by providing paved shoulders and removing and relocating roadway obstacles to provide a clear recovery zone for vehicles, which will also allow for bicyclists to ride outside of the main travel way. Project construction is planned for 2016 and will occur over a three-month period sometime between April and October.
Site 1 begins approximately 600 feet north of the intersection with Rancho La Boca Road and continues around a curve to approximately 600 feet west of the intersection. Pavement widening would create 4-foot wide paved shoulders for approximately 1,000 feet. There would also be roadside drainage ditches on both sides of the road, and roadway flashers installed in both directions. Utility poles and guardrails would be relocated, and two roadside native cottonwood trees would need to be removed. Cut and fill earthwork will be necessary to accommodate these proposed improvements and to improve sight distance. The earthwork will require removal of approximately 2,200 cubic yards of soil that will be mostly off-hauled from the project site and approximately 200 cubic yards of soil would remain on-site to build up the vertical fill areas.
Site 2 begins approximately 300 feet west of the intersection of Ferndale Road and continues around a curve to approximately 700 feet to the south. Pavement widening will create 4-foot-wide paved shoulders on both sides for a distance of about 360 feet. There would be an additional 4-foot-wide unpaved shoulder along the westbound travel lane 300 feet west of Ferndale Road. Utility poles, fences, and guardrails will be relocated; one (1) non-native roadside cedar tree may need to be removed as well as sliver portions of residential landscaping adjacent to the road; and roadway flashers will be installed in both directions. Drainage improvements include installation of storm drain inlets and associated pipe connections, and installation of concrete headwalls and rock slope protection at the openings of an existing 42-inch diameter culvert of a tributary. The deteriorating culvert will either be reinforced or replaced in-kind. Three (3) native oak trees within the tributary just east of the culvert may also be removed to accommodate the culvert improvements.
Right-of-way (ROW) acquisitions will be required for these improvements which will consist of sliver portions (varying between 5 and 30 feet) along the frontages of several properties along Alhambra Valley Road to accommodate the widening. Permanent drainage and utility easements, and temporary construction easements will also be needed.
Standard construction equipment will be used, including, but not limited to: excavators, graders, scrapers, loaders, sweepers/scrubbers, plate compactors, rollers, backhoes, and pavers. Several construction staging areas have been identified in the project area. Disturbed areas will be stabilized as necessary following construction.
Delay in approving the project may result in a delay of design, construction, and may jeopardize funding.