This letter to the editor is from Lisa Rheinheimer, executive director of the Council of San Benito County Governments:
I am writing this letter on behalf of the Council of Governments (COG) regarding the recent editorial concerning the timing of construction on the Highway 25 Bypass project at Airline Highway and Sunnyslope Road. COG is happy to report that the contractor's schedule is such that the detour will start after the motorcycle rally and finish just before school starts - a good window that helps us avoid some of the busier traffic times in this heavily traveled area.
Every infrastructure construction project requires extensive work and, often, coordination among several agencies and utilities. In the case of the Highway 25 Bypass, people would likely be surprised to learn just how many utilities (electric, telephone, cable, water, sewer, etc.) are located near and under the roadway, particularly in the Sunnyslope Road/Airline Highway area. A tremendous amount of coordination must occur between the contractor and utilities during construction.
COG and its partners considered the impact that the upcoming detour might have on residents and visitors during the rally. Avoiding major impacts to the community and the efficient use of taxpayer dollars are both COG goals on the project. COG must be very careful about incurring costly delay damages imposed by the contract between COG and the contractor. Had COG instructed the contractor to delay the work until after the rally COG, would likely be responsible for paying delay damages to the contractor for lost work time.
The project is continuing on schedule and we look forward to an opening this fall. The community will be invited to join us for pre-opening festivities sometime in October. For up-to-date information on the project, visit www.Highway25Bypass.com.
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See a slide show of the Lights On Parade