WATSONVILLE—A massive, long-awaited project that will completely overhaul one of Watsonville’s key arterial roads is set to begin in May.
The Freedom-Green Valley Water and Sewer Improvement project and the proceeding Freedom Boulevard Road Reconstruction Project were delayed because of global supply chain issues, the city said in a March 1 update.
Originally planned to start in February, now, the work is set to break ground in early May.
The former project, headed up by K.J. Woods Construction, will refurbish or replace roughly a mile of sewer and water pipelines that are aging and have reached the end of their useful life, according to the city. The Freedom Boulevard portion of the project will run from Atkinson Lane to Green Valley Road.
That $3.23 million project will likely continue into the fall. Then, the facelift of Freedom Boulevard from Alta Vista Avenue to Green Valley Road will begin shortly after.
That project will cost roughly $3 million. The city is using Measure D, SB1 and a $1.5 million grant from the State Transportation Improvement Program to fund the project.
It will go out to bid in the fall and construction will likely begin at the end of the year, continuing through the majority of 2023. The project will replace non-ADA compliant driveways and curb ramps, install high-visibility crosswalks, upgrade existing bus stops and add a new traffic signal at Sydney Avenue.
“We understand this project will create an inconvenience for the traveling public and appreciate your patience while we replace this aging infrastructure,” the city said in the update.
