Union Road project is moving along
The Gas Company is currently relocated lines on Union Road east of Kleck.
The Union Road Project, which will reconstruct the road from Kleck to Montebello Oaks, is underway with The Gas Company currently placing lines under Union Road. Paso Robles Public Works Capital Projects Engineer Ditas Esperanza said the gas line work began at Kleck is now well past Walnut and will continue all the way to Montebello Oaks.
“In the meantime, as directed by council, the project improvements was expanded from Montebello Oaks to Prospect,” Esperanza said. “So while waiting for The Gas Company, the city’s contractor is working along this segment, [which] is open to traffic. … The contractor is handling traffic via traffic control with cones and signage so please be careful as you travel in this area.”
The Paso Robles City Council approved the final design on Feb. 4, 2014, and awarded the bid on June 17, 2014, to G. Sosa Construction. The contract for the improvements is to not exceed $1,914,017. The city received a $533,500 grant to install bike lanes and improve the surface of Union Road. The project is funded by the Bike Lane Grant, USHA grant, Union Road/46 Specific Road Fund, Water Operations Fund, supplemental tax and gas tax. Which totals $2,836,500, the total budget for the project, which includes the design costs, contingency and in addition to the construction costs.
To address two major issues, speed control and safe crossing of Union Road, that arose during neighborhood meetings, the final design included two electronic flashing devices to notify motorists to slow down and painted crosswalks and a raised pedestrian refuge island at Montebello Oaks. Because the road profile is being lowered, existing utilities must be relocated and lowered so they will have adequate cover. The utilities include waterlines, a high-pressure gas main, communication lines, cable TV lines and electrical lines and poles. The project will improve sight distance by lowering the existing crest of the road. That triggered the need to install a 12-foot retaining road along the south side of the road.
The project also includes new on-street and striped bikes lanes on both sides of Union Road, new concrete sidewalk on the north side of the street, new streetlights and the realignment of the Walnut/Union Road intersection to provide a more standard intersection. Esperanza said another added feature is to improve the intersection at Golden Hill and Union roads to provide two lanes southbound at Golden Hill to improve traffic congestion.
