The Ramona Community Planning Group unanimously voted that the Highland Valley/Dye Rd/Hwy 67 intersection improvement project should be given funding priority at the expense of delaying other local road projects, at the RCPG meeting last week.
Public speakers and planning group members alike agreed that the intersection has been a source of heavy traffic delays for years, is getting worse, and the project would help all residents and visitors. The traffic backup on Route 67 at Dye Road can extend for miles at afternoon peak.
The funding compromise is not a done deal, it would have to go back before county supervisors to be approved. The project would add additional traffic and turn lanes and synchronize the traffic signal for maximum efficiency.
The deal would delay Ramona St. extension funding for four years and the Dye Road extension funding for one year.
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Ramona resident Joe Minervi said to the group that the traffic count at the intersection is about four times the other project areas. The intersection at the west end of Ramona has a traffic demand 20 percent higher than its capacity, according to Caltrans.
The cost of the intersection improvement was quoted to be about $11M, compared to an estimated $15M for the Dye Road extension.
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"This project gives the best bang for the buck for our community," said Planner Carl Hickman. "27,000 cars a day through there. It's not just congestion, safety issues trump."
The problem has been an issue of discussion for about 25 years, planning group chairman Jim Piva told Patch for an earlier article.
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