Repaving to begin on busy Lawrence, San Tomas expressways in Santa Clara County
Officials in Santa Clara County are urging commuters to be patient, as repaving work begins on two of the county's busiest expressways.
According to the county's Roads and Airports Department, work will begin on a stretch of Lawrence Expressway between the Westgate West Shopping Center and Homestead Road starting in late August. In late September or early October, work will begin on a stretch of San Tomas Expressway between El Camino Real and Highway 101.
"The pavement rehabilitation projects on Lawrence and San Tomas expressways will significantly upgrade two of the County's essential commuter arteries," said Harry Freitas, who directs the Roads and Airports Department.
Repaving will use a process called "cold in-place recycling", a method that involves grinding up old asphalt and reusing it, emitting fewer greenhouse gases as a result.
Along with new road surfaces, crews will upgrade traffic signals with battery backups to keep the signals running during power outages. Improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists will be performed at certain intersections, including the installation of curb ramps compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The project on Lawrence is budgeted for $16.4 million, while the project on San Tomas is budgeted for $15.4 million, the county said. Funding for the projects is being provided by county taxpayers.
Construction work on the expressways is scheduled to take place daily between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., with some paving work taking place at night. Traffic delays are expected.
"Your commute will be impacted, that's the unfortunate reality of the business we're in," engineer Paul Pascoal said in a video about the construction. "We do not do this because it's fun, we do this out of necessity."
Lawrence Expressway is the business commuter roadway in the county, officials said, while San Tomas Expressway is a close second.
The projects are expected to take about three to four months to complete, weather permitting.