Date:

GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY

FOR $105 MILLION PROJECT TO CONSTRUCT

EXPRESSWAY ON STATE HIGHWAY 149

MARYSVILLE – The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced today they will be holding a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of construction on a $105 million project to construct a four-lane expressway on State Highway 149 with new interchanges at State Highway 70 and State Highway 99 in Butte County.

"This project will improve safety and reduce congestion along the State Highway 149 corridor between Chico and Oroville", said Jody Jones, Caltrans District 3 Director, "which is a main link between State Highways 70 and 99, both of which are major links for agriculture and commerce through the northern portion of the central Sacramento Valley. All three highways also serve the commuter and recreational traffic between Chico and Sacramento."

Project features will include the following:

Construction of a freeway-to-freeway interchange at the State Highway 70/149 interchange, including the construction of Table Mountain Boulevard and driveways to provide access to adjacent parcels.
Construction of a median and two lanes for the full length of State Highway 149, including the realignment of a portion of Shippee Road.
Construction of a freeway-to-freeway interchange at the State Highway 99/149 intersection, including the construction of Book Farm Road and driveways to provide access to adjacent parcels.
Realignment of State Highway 191 to intersect State Highway 70 and add traffic signals.

Completion of the project is expected in 2009. The contract was awarded to FCI Constructors Granite, a joint venture of the two companies.

Scheduled to speak at the event are U.S. Congressman Wally Herger (R), State Assemblymen Rick Keene (R) and Doug LaMalfa (R), Caltrans District 3 Director Jody Jones, and Butte County Association of Governments Executive Director, Jon Clark. Other state and local officials are scheduled to attend the ceremony and participate in the actual groundbreaking for the project. The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, April 13 and will be held at the intersection of State Highways 99/149.

Caltrans is a department within the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency that operates and maintains California's transportation system under the direction of Secretary Sunne Wright McPeak and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. For more information about the department, please visit its Web site at www.dot.ca.gov. Information about the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency is available on the Internet at www.bth.ca.gov.

###