North County Corridor Project

(Modesto, CA)– Thursday, June 16, 2011, the North County Corridor Project – State Route 108 (SR-99 to SR-120) will host an open house at the Riverbank Community Center, 3600 Santa Fe Street, Riverbank, California, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. A brief presentation describing the project and the environmental process will be made at 7:00 p.m.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)—as the lead agency responsible for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)—in cooperation with the North County Corridor Transportation Expressway Authority, is preparing an Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement for the North County Corridor Project – State Route 108 (SR-99 to SR-120). The purpose of the project is to construct a west-east freeway/expressway with interchanges, at-grade intersections, grade-separated railroad crossings, irrigation district crossings, frontage roads, and street realignments. The proposed project would extend approximately 25 miles from a location on State Route 99, to a location on State Route 120 east of the City of Oakdale. The alignment may be an entirely new roadway or may be incorporated into the existing roadway network.

“The open house is an opportunity to learn about what is being planned and to provide comments or concerns about the project,” said Gail Miller, Senior Environmental Planner.

Maps, information about the project, and other displays will be available. Representatives from Caltrans and the North County Corridor Transportation Expressway Authority, along with other specialists in engineering, environmental studies, and right-of-way will be available to discuss individual concerns and answer questions. Members are invited to attend any time between the hours of 6:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Written public comments will become part of the public record and will be considered in developing the environmental document. Comments must be submitted to Gail Miller, Senior Environmental Planner, Caltrans, Central Sierra Environmental Analysis Branch, 2015 East Shields Avenue, Suite 100, Fresno, CA 93726 or by e-mail to Gail_Miller@dot.ca.gov.

For general information about the project, contact Jesus Vargas@dot.ca.gov. Or, contact Matt Machado, Authority Manager, North County Corridor Transportation Expressway Authority, at (209) 525-6550 or by e-mail at machadom@co.stanislaus.ca.us. For environmental information, contact Gail Miller, Senior Environmental Planner, Caltrans, (559) 240-8274/(209) 948-3646 or e-mail Gail Miller@dot.ca.gov. For all other State Highway matters, members of the public are invited to contact District 10 Public Affairs at (209) 948-7977.