Public comments are being accepted for a proposed new state highway that would connect state Highway 4 in eastern Contra Costa County to either Interstate Highway 580 in Alameda County or a location further east at Interstate Highway 205 in San Joaquin County.
State Highway 239 would connect from Highway 4 at Marsh Creek Road south for about 17 miles to one of the two endpoints being considered under the project. The new state highway proposal has been years in the making and is sponsored by Caltrans and the Contra Costa County Transportation Authority.
An online-only public scoping meeting was held Tuesday on the project, but public comments are being held through Jan. 18.
The agencies proposing the project, which had its study phase starting back in 2012, say the four-lane highway is needed to relieve increased commute traffic between eastern Contra Costa County and western San Joaquin County, as well as to improve access to the Byron Airport and to reduce non-local traffic through Byron itself.
However, sustainability advocates have said the highway would enable more suburban sprawl and take away money needed for other projects.
The public agencies plan to release a draft environmental document for the project next year, with final environmental approval targeted for 2024. Funding would come from county and federal sources and Regional Measure 3, a bridge toll hike approved by voters in the nine Bay Area counties in 2018.
People can comment through Jan. 18 via the project’s website at https://sr239project.net/comments/.
16 comments
Gotta have a way for bart’s fantasy narrow gauge putt putt to get out into the valley.
At rate CA is driving businesses away all that’ll be left is low wage amazon warehouses.
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End of 2023 modern steel mill in Pittsburg will likely shut down and be torn down. . . .
Living wage UNION jobs gone after 110 years. Where’s the outrage from federal, state and local politicians ? ? ? ? ? ?
What this means is they are selling property out there and will be building and over crowding the place California style.
Nothing new here.The dont building freeways for nothing.
Eliminate this proposed Hwy altogether and re-focus on expanding BART on those unused rail tracks. Let’s bring that “very needed dicussion” back to the table.
I can talk to those in Tracy and who should listen to such a proposal for the rail. That’s where this was headed years ago. It just takes a “push.”
Highway 4 runs right through Stockton and on into the mountains. Very little traffic. They lie. We know they’ll keep on lying. Cash is the name of the game. Asking public opinion is redundant game playing. They do what they want as long as there’s a buck and a job for cousin It.
I’d want to see the whole plan, beginning to end, before making any decisions on it. Those are some of the remaining pristine areas still left in the County. The whole place doesn’t have to be “built out” like LA with freeways and houses.
I see it! Just overlay their plans with the boxing off of areas east of L.A. between the 10 and 60 freeways with more freeways to get the urban sprawl out to San Bernardino. Maybe using old L.A. planning materials can save them money making us look like L.A. We can be West Covina!
Build both alternatives and while your out there put a rail line along the same route. Let’s go, we’ve got money to buy hotels for street people, then we’ve got money to build some roads.
Yes the current Byron highway is dangerous (RIP Young Curt 🙏🏼) and isn’t set up to handle the amount of traffic is already gets.
The biggest issue through Byron is large trucks using Byron Highway to get from 580/205 in the central valley to Highway 4 and 680, using it to avoid the 580/680 interchange. BART and or rail will do nothing to ease the big rigs backing up through the town of Byron. The traffic lights at Byron Highway/Camino Diablo and Byron Highway and Highway 4 back up badly and lead to many crashes.
” I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”
You can comment or complain all you want.It’s all a dog and pony show to make the public think they can make a difference.It’s a done deal before it’s done.
I drive that route for work often and know its the perfect release valve for those communities ( especially freight traffic) currently coming around HWY 4 to 680 or cutting over Kirker pass to Ygnacio Blvd. Those grassy hills are pristine but I’d much prefer them build there than more stack housing urban infill here in my towns. It will happen eventually as they try to “solve” a false narrative of the housing crisis.
I like the Kirker pass idea. I would love to see the out cry from the Walnut Creek crowd if they proposed a freeway from Brentwood to 680/24
Not going to help HWY 4. Will create heavier use of terrible Morgan Territory.
And please lower the speed limit to 95mph.
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