As many people driving past Ukiah on Highway 101 lately have noticed, a sturdy black fence is being built along the freeway north of Perkins Street.
When asked for more details, Caltrans spokesman Manny Machado said the new fencing “will replace existing right-of-way fencing that has reached the end of its service life. The original fencing was installed in the 1960s, and had several separations due to vandalism.”
Machado said the total cost of the 7,500 feet of fencing is $2.6 million (i.e., almost $350 per foot), which “includes material, labor and equipment costs.” He said the new fence is not longer than the old fence, but it is “taller than the previous fence, and in some cases the old fence was in poor shape and overrun with vegetation, so it was not as readily visible.”
When asked why a new fence was being built, Machado said that “last January, an emergency project was issued to help improve the safety of pedestrians walking adjacent to the fencing from the northern intersections of Perkins Street to the Orrs Creek Bridge and north of Orrs Creek. Additionally, the project will include slope paving under the Orrs Creek Bridge and the Talmage Street Overcrossing.”
As for the paving, Machado said “the construction cost for the Talmage Bridge was about $415,000, and for the Orrs Creek, is approximately $925,000. Funding for the project is from our Emergency Projects fund, the purpose of these projects are to keep bridge structures safe for the traveling public.”
When asked for more details on the pedestrian safety aspect of the fencing project, Machado said that section of Highway 101 “is designated as a freeway, which requires controlled access. All pedestrian traffic is prohibited in freeway sections. Pedestrians are illegally accessing the right-of-way in and around the Orrs Creek Bridge. The existing fence was inadequate to inhibit pedestrian access and the new fence should meet this need.”
The Ukiah Police Department reported being told that the new fence “can’t be cut through,” and Machado confirmed that “the fencing we are using can’t be readily vandalized or damaged.”
(Ukiah Daily Journal)
are you kidding, that is your tax dollars at work, keep voting DEMOCRAT this is what you will get