County approves nearly $1 million North Fork road expansion
The Madera County Board of Supervisors approved a $887,212.85 contract for the “Road 225 Bike, Pedestrian, and Transit Improvement Project.” The project will add 1,350 feet of new sidewalks, bike paths, wheelchair ramps and a new transit stop with a bus shelter to Road 225 in North Fork.
The project is federally funded by the Highway Improvement Program and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality. Locally, the project is funded by local transportation funds (LFT). If approved, construction would begin at the end of the month and is anticipated to take three months to complete.
North Fork resident Mary Stalter expressed concerns towards the project. While she said North Fork “desperately needs” these improvements, she said its construction will interfere with the annual Loggers Jamboree and Fourth of July parade. She added that Road 225 is a “crucial road” for fire evacuations, and the project may overcomplicate evacuations if it takes longer than three months.
“Road 225 is a crucial road for evacuations, should it be necessary during a fire,” Stalter said.
Dan Matz, who represented Sierra Citizens for Sensible Government, said it was “disappointing” that residents were only now hearing about the project. According to District 5 Supervisor Robert Macaulay, he has been discussing the project for the last six months.
The project was approved in a 4-0 vote.
Additionally, the Board discussed a 50.84% loss in cherry crops due to severe weather across the County in April. According to the County’s Agricultural Commissioner Rusty Lantsberger, this resulted in an estimated $5.5 million financial loss for the County.
According to Lantsberger, the harsh rain, hail and winds from April 10-27 impacted 631 acres of crops. Due to the financial loss, Lantsberger submitted a secretarial disaster declaration request.
“The rain caused the cherries to split open, the hail and winds damaged the exterior of the cherries making them unmarketable,” Lantsberger said.
Also Read:
Sierra News Online – County eyes High-Speed Rail Site, improved Health Services