ct: John GulickOver the past decade, there have been a number of attempts to expand this area of the highway. In fact, CalTrans is still in the process of obtaining permits from the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board that are required before it can proceed. Construction has been delayed many times in the process. Construction was originally set to begin October 1st of this year but has been pushed back to January 1st of 2001. Wright, a member of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority says, "Its not a big deal. Its just a matter of going through the governmental process" when asked about the delay. In addition to the environmental issues with the expansion, there are other reasons why citizens in the area do not want this to happen. One reason is the rise in sales taxes for transportation. A factor that many commuters will not be happy with is the fact that it is expected to take 18 months to complete the 4.8 miles of carpool lanes, sound walls, traffic metering lights and Gloria StovallNovember 13, 2000Sect: John Gulickimprovements on several entrance ramps. It will be somewhat of an inconvenience. It will most likely slow down traffic for the 18 months during the construction and cause many unhappy commuters.Although there will be a delay with the beginning of the construction, Wright said that CalTrans officials expect to have the project completed by its original target date of February of 2002. During the eighteen months of construction there will more than likely be a big inconvenience for those who travel Highway 101 on a regular basis. Commuters will have to deal with slow traffic through the area. Another point that people of the community arent looking forward to is the price of the project. The entire thing will cost $23 million and will not be something that many want to pay for. In the past, provisions were sought to lower the threshold for raising sales taxes for transportation but this failed. Despite t...
