SALINAS — Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC), Caltrans District 5 and the County of Monterey have announced that a partial closure of Torero Drive, along Highway 68, will begin this Friday, July 12.
The partial road closure is a component of the Toro Park Cut-Through Traffic Pilot Project, which will be in effect until Oct. 1. Fixed signs and changeable electronic messaging signs will be placed along Highway 68 and within Toro Park to inform motorists of the partial road closure.
The pilot project is designed to re-route traffic that diverts from Reservation Road and Highway 68 into Serra Village and Toro Park during commute hours to avoid traffic congestion on Highway 68. It is also designed to address safety concerns and congestion in the residential Toro Park communities “inundated with aggressive drivers who take Portola Drive as an alternate route and speed through a school zone to re-enter Highway 68 at Torero Drive,” according to the County.
The closure will block southbound traffic on Torero Drive at the intersection of Bravo Court; thereby prohibiting vehicles from entering the highway from Torero Drive.
“The pilot project is expected to be in place a week or two before school starts so that we can observe traffic and adjust accordingly,” said Doug Bilse, TAMC’s Principal Transportation Engineer and Project Manager of the pilot project. “We will be monitoring traffic throughout the pilot project phase and gathering feedback from community members. At that time, we will review traffic data and have permanent solutions to review.”
The partial road closure will improve traffic flow and reduce the 20-minute queue many Salinas commuters experience each day. The transportation agencies are also working together to improve traffic signal operations, which will make the traffic flow better than it currently is.
Based upon travel time studies conducted by TAMC, Toro Park residents might experience an increase for the off-peak trip to the peninsula that should take an extra three to four minutes, while a peak hour trip might add seven to eight minutes.
In addressing the extra minutes, Bilse said, “We realize this hardship is needed to address safety concerns and are trying to identify a long-term solution that will reduce or eliminate this added travel time.”
The Toro Park Cut-Through Pilot Traffic Project is a Measure X funded project. It was developed by TAMC, the County and residents of Serra Village and Toro Park to help define a long-term solution to keep traffic from diverting off the highway.
