A highlight of an upcoming event out of this article is: Caltrans has
scheduled a
ceremony to dedicate the new freeway for Friday, November 7th, at 10 a.m.
BY BILL DEAVER
Highway 14 project could be delayed two years
State budget problems blamed
BY BILL DEAVER
MOJAVE - The Desert News learned Tuesday that a project to widen Highway
14 between
Mojave and Phillips Road to four lanes could be delayed up to two years.
A very reliable source said that Caltrans has stopped buying right-of-way
for the project,
which includes an interchange at California City Boulevard and Highway
14.
The Mojave Chamber of Commerce was notified Tuesday that Caltrans is rescinding
its
offer to buy its "Welcome to Mojave" sign on the highway just north of
Mojave. The official
who contacted chamber Director Candace McCarthy confirmed that the project
has been
delayed and that the organization will be contacted when the project is
back on schedule.
Bids to construct the widening project were scheduled to be advertised
in May, with
construction to begin in Fall. The Desert News reported recently that those
dates could slip
because of the state's budget problems.
Ron Brummett, executive director of the Kern Council of Governments, which
manages
highway funding in the county, said his agency recently received a list
of eight projects in
the county that could be delayed.
He said Caltrans has been ordered to eliminate 1,000 jobs and that many
of those are filled
by people who do the work necessary to prepare projects for construction.
Area leaders have worked for years to have the busy highway widened and
a full
interchange built at 14 and California City Boulevard, the site of numerous
accidents until
Caltrans installed four-way stop signs at the intersections at the request
of the Desert
News.
Design change
The Desert News also learned that the design for the interchange at California
City
Boulevard and 14 will require northbound traffic on 14 heading for California
City to come to
a complete stop. Currently, traffic may turn right without stopping when
that is safe. That
information, and information on the possible project delay, has been passed-on
to county
and state lawmakers for action.
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