(The intersection of Werner and Elkhorn roads in Royal Oaks is included in the study of the Pajaro to Prunedale corridor. Photo by the Transportation Agency for Monterey County)
PAJARO — With roughly 20,000 cars traveling through it daily, the Pajaro to Prunedale corridor has become a logjam during peak commute hours.
To help solve safety and congestion issues, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) is seeking the public’s input on how best to improve the corridor for not only vehicles, but pedestrians and bicyclists as well.
The 10.5-mile Pajaro to Prunedale corridor, known as County Road G-12, consists of San Miguel Canyon Road, Hall Road, Elkhorn Road and Salinas Road, between Highways 1 and 101.
Three community meetings are scheduled. Two will take place May 23 from 6-7:30 p.m., at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 100 Salinas Road in Pajaro, and Hall District Elementary School, 300 Sill Road. Another meeting will be held May 24 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Prunedale Grange Hall, 17890 Moro Road.
Grant Leonard, associate transportation planner with TAMC, said the study is a response to the community seeking improvements to the corridor, as collisions have been on an uptick. The agency recently received a $283,000 grant from Caltrans to conduct the study.
“It’s been getting an increase in traffic over the last five years or so,” he said.
Leonard pointed to a number of projects completed over the last few years that have made it easier for commuters to access the corridor. The Highway 1-Salinas Road interchange was finished in 2013, allowing commuters a way to bypass southbound congestion on the highway.
The Prunedale Improvement Project in 2015 upgraded intersections along Highway 101, further increasing access to the corridor.
“As congestion increases on Highway 1, people are seeking alternative routes,” Leonard said.
TAMC is currently in the public outreach phase, and will move toward crafting a plan in the summer.
TAMC Community Outreach Coordinator Theresa Wright said once a plan is approved, funding for construction would come from Measure X, the 3/8 percent sales tax approved by voters in 2016 dedicated to transportation projects in Monterey County. TAMC would also be able to apply for funding through SB1.
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For information about the Pajaro to Prunedale corridor study, and to provide input, visit www.pajarotoprunedalestudy.org or contact Leonard at 775-0903 or gr***@ta**********.org.
