This week, a number of announcements were made across the county concerning new highways and delays on established projects.

CA - Builder chosen for Highway 87 expansion
California has chosen a company to build the expansion of California Highway 87 from four to eight lanes near downtown San Jose. Granite Construction of Watsonville, CA, said in a release it was contracted to work on the $21.4 million project, which will start this year and is planned for completion in 2004. The company will build a perimeter road and replace three bridges as part of the contract.

CO - Tax shortfall delays highway work
A loss of sales tax funds in Colorado has held back several highway projects, a report from the Rocky Mountain News said this week. Projects funded by the tax that may be delayed include the widening of I-25 through Colorado Springs; the expansion of U.S. 50 near Delta; improvements over the Wolf Creek Pass; and the T-REX system in Denver, which includes a number of road projects. The sales tax had produced about $200 million a year for transportation. This year, due to economic conditions, the DOT received no money from the tax.

IA - Road projects delayed
A shortfall in funds may lead to delays in a number of road projects in Iowa, according to the Quad Cities Times. The projects that would be delayed include the completion of I-235 through Des Moines and the U.S. 34 Bypass at Fairfield, both of which would be put on hold for a year; and the U.S. 61 Bypass at Fort Madison, which now will be completed in 2007. The delays were part of a list of recommendations to deal with a $150 million funding shortfall. They were presented by the Iowa DOT to the state's transportation commission for consideration at its meeting Dec. 10 in Ames. The state will still fund $2.07 billion in work, including the Avenue of the Saints, a multi-highway route that will eventually connect St. Louis with St. Paul, Minn.; U.S. 151 from Cedar Rapids to Dubuque; Iowa Highway 60 from LeMars to the Minnesota border; a four-lane Des Moines-to-Burlington corridor; and a relocation project on Iowa Highway 5 from Des Moines to Knoxville.

IN - EPA proposes alternative for I-69 extension
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed an alternative route for the southward extension of I-69 from Indianapolis, according to a report from The Associated Press. The agency proposed that the new highway, part of a NAFTA superhighway planned from Canada to Mexico, should run southwest along Indiana Highway 37 from Indianapolis to Bloomington, then west to U.S. 41, which it would then follow to Vincennes and Evansville. The EPA proposed the new route, which includes parts of the five alternatives studied by the state, because of concern over the road's effect on wetlands in the southern part of the state.

MD - Intercounty connector may be revived
Changes in Maryland's government after the last election may revive plans for an 18-mile, east-west intercounty connector highway in Montgomery County, MD, The Washington Post said in a story Nov. 19. The connector would link Interstates 270 and 95, running from Rockville east to Laurel, costing an estimated $1.3 billion. The connector is being revived by the election of a new, pro-highway Montgomery Council Council and Robert Ehrlich Jr., who also supports the plan, as governor. Outgoing Democratic Gov. Parris Glendening dropped the plan after an unfavorable report from the EPA.

NC - U.S. 17 Bypass to open
The U.S. 17 Bypass around Elizabeth City, NC, is scheduled to open around the first of December, the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot reported recently. The 11-mile bypass will shave five miles off of the trip and avoid 20 traffic lights. The speed limit on the highway is 65 mph.

PA - New section of Erie East Side Access opens
Another section of the Erie East Side Access highway, a new four-lane highway that will link Interstate 90 and the Bayfront in Erie, PA, will open in a few weeks, according to a release this week from the state of Pennsylvania. Gov. Mark Schweiker toured the new $27.4 million section, which runs between Sixth and 12th streets in Erie, Thursday.

TX - Houston's I-10 lane closures to cause delays
Weekend roadwork could delay drivers on I-10 north of downtown Houston, the Texas Department of Transportation warns. The freeway's eastbound lanes will close from the North Freeway to the Eastex Freeway from 9 pm. Friday, Nov. 22, to 5 a.m. Monday, Nov. 25. TxDOT advises drivers to detour north on the North Freeway, take the North Loop to the Eastex Freeway, then go south back to I-10.

VA - U.S. 17 to be widened near Dismal Swamp
Construction will begin in March on a new four-lane highway to replace the Dismal Swamp Canal Road, a stretch of U.S. 17 that enters Chesapeake, VA, from the south, the Virginian-Pilot reported. The highway, which is four lanes wide in North Carolina, reduces to two lanes upon entering Virginia. Officials have worked for two decades to widen the highway, an accident-prone road that has long been a deterrent to truck-dependent industries that were considering locating in the area.

VT - Move speeds review of Burlington Circumferential
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Highway Administration have agreed on a plan to speed up reviews of a proposed highway that will circle the Burlington, VT, area, The Burlington Free Press reported Thursday. The Circumferential Highway is a proposed 16-mile, $180 million road in suburban Chittenden County. A four-mile section in Essex opened in 1993. The faster review will allow work on the next leg, from Essex to Williston, to start next year. The EPA had wanted a detailed report on the highway's effect on Chittenden County development, the paper said, which could have slowed the project for more than a year. The review will now be completed in three months, but the project could still be slowed by expected court challenges from environmental groups.