Highway 4 Could Become Eight-Lane Freeway

By Mike Adamick, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.

Oct. 15–Potentially flush with millions more than expected to widen Highway 4, transportation leaders have abandoned cheaper, less ambitious improvements in favor of a possible eight-lane freeway coursing through the heart of East County.

The plan hinges on a bond financing arrangement expected to be complete in the next month.

If signed, the deal to lock in lower bond interest rates — which allow for larger infusions of cash — Highway 4 could become an eight-lane freeway through Antioch instead of six lanes by 2012. The scaled down plans would cost about $70 million, while the wider freeway plans would cost about $150 million for starters.

“I think the world has been turned on its head in the last year where most of the time it was doom and gloom,” said Antioch Mayor Don Freitas, who also serves on the Contra Costa County Transportation Authority’s east County planning committee. “Now we’re seeing a bright shining light at the end of the street.”

Though far from certain, transportation planners say the financial arrangement, combined with new doses of state, federal and regional toll money, could go a long way toward reshaping the oft-congested roadway and speeding up commutes for East County residents.

“If the financing comes through, it’s a big plus and we’ll see something happen sooner,” said Bob McCleary, head of the transportation authority.

Last November, voters approved Measure J, which provides $125 million to widen Highway 4. But the tax doesn’t kick in until 2009. McCleary said the financing deal would allow planners to lock in a lower interest rate now, so that future 25-year construction bond costs will be cheaper.

That means more cash — as much as $100 million — can be poured into the road instead of wasted on debt repayments. The deal is not official yet, but transportation leaders hope to sign on with an investment banking firm to seal the details by December.

“The goods news is there may be more money,” Freitas said.

At the moment, commuters drive by a mile-long stretch roadwork west of Loveridge Road. The work entails widening Highway 4 from four lanes to eight lanes — a project that could be completed by the end of the year.

Still, heading further east, the lanes winnow down to four again. Thanks to a potential mound of new money, that bottleneck could be broken.

Previous plans called for a widening from four lanes to six lanes in both directions.

If the new deals work out, Highway 4 could sport eight lanes from west of Loveridge Road to Lone Tree Way in Antioch. Then, the road would taper off to six lanes and eventually four where it gets closer to Oakley.

“We want the commuters to be able to move easily and not go from three lanes to two lanes to six lanes and back again,” Freitas said.

The financing arrangements and Measure J money are just pieces of a puzzle that could spell relief for commuters eager to get home.

Highway 4 will also receive unexpected money in the form of about $14 million in state gas taxes next year, while an additional $20 million comes from an “earmark” in the six-year federal highway bill signed this year.

The unexpected cash flow allows transportation engineers to ramp up planning and design sooner, meaning roadwork can happen faster, McCleary said.

The next steps include locking in the financial plan and then sorting through the road widening options over the next few months. McCleary hopes to begin more road construction in 2008 and finish the eight-lane widening by 2012.

CONSTRUCTION PLAN:

New road cash allows Highway 4 work to ramp up

2006: Finish road widening from four lanes to eight west of Loveridge Road

2006-07: Begin planning, property purchases and design for more widenings

2008: Widen from four lanes to eight lanes from roughly Somersville Road to Lone Tree Way

2008: Widen from four lanes to six lanes from Lone Tree Way to Hillcrest Avenue

2012: Complete all construction

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