Bay Area Might Get a New 4-Lane “State Highway 239”
By Bay City News
Public comments are being accepted for a proposed new state highway that would connect state Highway 4 in eastern Contra Costa County to either Interstate Highway 580 in Alameda County or a location further east at Interstate Highway 205 in San Joaquin County.
State Highway 239 would connect from Highway 4 at Marsh Creek Road south for about 17 miles to one of the two endpoints being considered under the project. The new state highway proposal has been years in the making and is sponsored by Caltrans and the Contra Costa County Transportation Authority.
An online-only public scoping meeting was held Tuesday on the project, but public comments are being held through Jan. 18, 2023.
Brief History
State Route 239 has been a legislatively designated route since 1959. In 2005, Contra Costa County secured federal funds to initiate a feasibility study and a project initiation document (PID). The PID was completed in 2015 and the environmental study phase has been initiated.Why Now?
Supporting the growing communities of eastern Contra Costa County and providing mobility options for the area are two key reasons to implement this corridor. It will serve as an important backbone for the region while helping people who live and work in eastern Contra Costa County (including Pittsburg, Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Byron, and Discovery Bay) and western San Joaquin County (including Tracy and Mountain House) connect, move, and prosper.
The agencies proposing the project, which had its study phase starting back in 2012, say the four-lane highway is needed to relieve increased commute traffic between eastern Contra Costa County and western San Joaquin County, as well as to improve access to the Byron Airport and to reduce non-local traffic through Byron itself.
However, sustainability advocates have said the highway would enable more suburban sprawl and take away money needed for other projects.
The public agencies plan to release a draft environmental document for the project next year, with final environmental approval targeted for 2024. Funding would come from county and federal sources and Regional Measure 3, a bridge toll hike approved by voters in the nine Bay Area counties in 2018.
How to Have Your Say
People can comment through Jan. 18 via the project’s website at https://sr239project.net/comments/, by email at info@SR239Project.net, by phone at (925) 255-5466, or by mail to Caltrans District 4 Environmental ATTN: Lily Mu, P.O. Box 23660, MS: 8B, Oakland, CA 94623.
Copyright © 2022 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.
