City to collaborate with County on project
PASO ROBLES — On Jan. 21, the Paso Robles City Council unanimously decided to give Jardine Road a makeover. The Council voted 5-0 to fix the much-complained about road.
Despite continual progress being made on the City’s roadways according to Ditas Esperanza— who gives by monthly updates on that progress — people still complain about them. One road stretch of road in dire need of repair is Jardine Road, which connects Highway 46 and Estrella Road and runs along the Links Golf Course.
Because of its location, half of Jardine Road was built to meet County of San Luis Obispo standards and the other half by using City standards.
“We have looked at this road a lot over the last couple of years,” Pubic Works Director Dick McKinley said.
According to McKinley, a complete repair of Jardine would cost $1.3 million. He said the Jardine is not the worst road in the city, but it is definitely in “bad shape.” However, up to this point, public works had not been able to find the money to pay to dig up the road and rebuild it.
The Council proposed a 2018 supplemental sales tax to provide funding for City projects. McKinley reminded the Council that Jardine Road was at the top of the list to be a recipient of those funds.
Paso residents voted against passing the measure.
“I’ve only been a supervisor for three years, but I will tell you that this is the number one road that I get discussion about,” District 1 Supervisor John Peschong said.
The Council decided to work in conjunction with the County to repave the road. According to McKinely, the County can resurface the road at a lower cost than the City. The County will lay down an inch of asphalt on the east side of the road and two inches on the west side. The proposed work would add 15 to 20 years of life to Jardine Road.
“I think this is a great solution, and it’s great to be able to work with the County on stuff like this because it’s something we haven’t had the opportunity to do in the past, so thank you, John,” said Councilmember Steve Gregory.
Applause from the crowd greeted the unanimous decision.
The Council also moved forward with road improvement projects at two other locations: The South Vine Street Bridge and the Highway 46 East/Union Road intersection.
The City approved a $50,000 an agreement with Stantec, Inc. to acquire permits on the City’s behalf and complete construction plans for the South Vine Bridge. Construction of the bridge and the subsequent realignment of South Vine Street would relieve the traffic congestion at the intersection of Highway 101 and Highway 46 West, according to the City.
The City also approved a change order for the preparation of the Project Approval Environment Documents at Union Road and Highway 46 East. The approximate amount change of $180,000 comes from “additional requirements to obtain environmental clearance,” which includes the preparation of a Farmland Conversion Rating Form, preparation of a Community Impact Assessment Report and additional consultation and coordination to comply with Assembly Bill 52.
