Q: Why Are Some Roads Fixed And Not Others? - Central Coast News KION/KCBA

Q: Why Are Some Roads Fixed And Not Others?

 A: Both Jeff and Gary had similar questions asking, "why is Hwy 68 being resurfaced in some areas when other areas need more attention?"

Caltrans is currently working on two separate locations on Highway 68, from west of SPCA Road to west of San Benancio Road; and from east of San Benancio Road to west of Reservation Road.

According to the Transportation Agency of Monterey County, Highway 68 is a state highway, so funding for repair and rehabilitation comes from the State of California. County road maintenance primarily comes from gas tax revenues, which often fall short. Second, it's about 1/10 of the cost to repave a road periodically for maintenance than it costs to reconstruct a road that has "failed" and is very torn up. High cost road reconstruction only occurs when a large sum of funding is available and traffic is heavy.

For instance, the City of Santa Cruz has finally done some major road reconstruction in their town, but only because of a recent 1/2 cent sales tax.

Caltrans says it has its own set of priorities for maintenance and operations of state highways, which about 25 percent of the caltrans budget is allocated for. The other 75% is coordinated with local agencies like TAMC and is allocated for larger capital projects. However, Caltrans says it is not uncommon for a county or city to expend its funds to improve state highways like 68 if they serve as a valuable element of their local circulation plan.