Update on the SR49/108 Widening Project in Jamestown
The widening and complete streets project on SR49/108 is the next highest capacity increasing State Highway project in the Tuolumne Regional Transportation Plan after construction of the Peaceful Oak Interchange. As noted in the attached memorandum from Peter Rei, dated November 3, 2009 it has also been adopted by the TCTC, BOS and City Council as a Category I Priority Project for the Traffic Mitigation Fee Program. Significant amounts of daily traffic congestion occurs in the corridor and is particularly bad on weekends as tourist recreate in the Motherlode and Sierra Nevada mountain range. For local residents, the lack of pedestrian, bicycle and transit facilities inhibits alternative modes of transportation to access necessary services and creates safety problems for their disadvantaged community. Traffic congestion combined with the lack of cleaner modes of transportation result in air quality impacts to nearby vulnerable populations.
The proposed project addresses the above concerns in the following ways:
· Additional traffic lanes will eliminate stop and go congestion (LOS E) and move traffic through more effectively (LOS B) resulting in less air pollution;
· Bike lanes and sidewalks will provide a cleaner and less costly form of travel for low income residents;
· Transit stops will provide access to education and job opportunities as well as medical and government services located in other areas of the county; and
· The overall project will improve safety for all modes of travel in the corridor.
· An associated Park and Ride is planned to encourage carpooling;
· The project will improve emergency evacuations and emergency vehicle ingress