Dear Friends & Neighbors,
Years of neglect have left Monterey County roads in poor condition. There are 1,257 miles of county roads, and most of them are not in good condition. Estimates place the cost at $700 million to bring the roads to a minimum of fair.
How did we get in this situation? Every time the county faces financial hardship, the road fund is cut. Delay maintenance on a road a year or two or three, and it doesn’t make that much of a difference. When that deferred maintenance becomes ten, twenty or thirty years, then it’s a different story.
In 1976, Elkhorn Road from Strawberry Road to Hall Road was widened and paved. The following year, Strawberry to Walker Canyon was supposed to be paved. It didn’t happen. It has been nearly 50 years, and the road has deteriorated dramatically. I am constantly pushing for funding to pave this road and others throughout the county that have been long forgotten when it comes to maintenance.
I am growing more optimistic that our road needs will get addressed, but it will still take time. The county is facing difficult financial times again, but this year it is different. The road fund was not cut. Instead, we increased by several million dollars the money allocated for roads this fiscal year. I have repeatedly and strongly urged that we spend more on our roads. With the strong support of Supervisor Lopez in South County and Supervisor Adams from Carmel Valley and the Monterey Peninsula, we have a majority on the Board of Supervisors that is very pro-road funding. I expect the support to continue when Supervisor-elect Daniels replaces Supervisor Adams in January.
There are a number of roads on the current repaving plan, like Dolan Road, that are planned for repair in a few years, but that is still not enough. Castroville has had some street paving, and more is to come. Pajaro will have some soon. Aromas recently had some of its roads paved.
A few upcoming projects in the next year include safety improvements, including a middle turn lane improvement at Echo Valley and San Miguel Canyon Roads. Turn lanes will also be added at three dangerous left turns for drivers on Hall Road, at Johnson, Pini and Willow Roads. I have heard from many residents there how dangerous those turns are. I am hopeful this will make them a little safer.
As more funding becomes available, many of our neglected roads will get attention. It can’t happen overnight because this problem, as I mentioned before, took 50 years to get this bad. However, I am committed that before I leave office, our roads will be in better shape than before I took office, and we now have a path forward.
As always, don't hesitate to reach out to my office for assistance. You can reach us at 831-755-5022 or district2@countyofmonterey.gov.
Sincerely,
Glenn Church
District 2 Supervisor
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