Cars travel on county Highway J4 near Byron in an undated image. The two-lane road that stretches between Highway 4 in Byron and Interstate 205 near Tracy is a heavily used commute route that would be improved to four lanes as part of the proposed State Route 239 Project. (Google image)
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 580 in Alameda County or a location further east at Interstate 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 accepted through Jan. 18.
Two proposed alignments for a new state Highway 239 are shown. (Graphic courtesy of Contra Costa Transportation Authority via Bay City News)
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, by email, by phone at (925) 255-5466, or by mail to Caltrans District 4 Environmental ATTN: Lily Mu, P.O. Box 23660, MS: 8B, Oakland, CA 94623.
Dan McMenamin is the managing editor at Bay City News, directing daily news coverage of the 12-county greater Bay Area. He has worked for BCN since 2008 and has been managing editor since 2014 after previously serving as BCN’s San Francisco bureau reporter. A UC Davis graduate, he came to BCN after working for a newspaper and nonprofit in the Davis area. He handles staffing, including coaching of our interns, day-to-day coverage decisions and management of the newswire.
Proposed Highway 239 would improve travel in eastern Contra Costa; public can comment
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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 580 in Alameda County or a location further east at Interstate 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 accepted through Jan. 18.
Two proposed alignments for a new state Highway 239 are shown. (Graphic courtesy of Contra Costa Transportation Authority via Bay City News)
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, by email, by phone at (925) 255-5466, or by mail to Caltrans District 4 Environmental ATTN: Lily Mu, P.O. Box 23660, MS: 8B, Oakland, CA 94623.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
Dan McMenamin is the managing editor at Bay City News, directing daily news coverage of the 12-county greater Bay Area. He has worked for BCN since 2008 and has been managing editor since 2014 after previously serving as BCN’s San Francisco bureau reporter. A UC Davis graduate, he came to BCN after working for a newspaper and nonprofit in the Davis area. He handles staffing, including coaching of our interns, day-to-day coverage decisions and management of the newswire.
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