Injury accidents on Vasco Road in Contra Costa County have dropped sharply in 2007, District III Supervisor Mary Piepho reported recently. Citing California Highway Patrol statistics, Piepho said that injury accidents on the portion of Vasco policed by the California Highway Patrol have fallen from 18 in 2006 to just four in the first nine months of 2007.

The combination of aggressive patrolling, doubled traffic fines and the flexible delineator barrier between the two lanes was cited by Piepho as instrumental in the reductions. Injury accidents had been running at about 25 per year for the three prior years, including at least one fatal accident each year.

The supervisor has been actively involved in the multi-agency Vasco Road Safety Task Force, and promoted the barrier as a short-term safety measure.

On the Alameda County side, construction is under way to straighten and widen the roadway north of Livermore. The project will eliminate several sharp turns and result in a wider roadway with a permanent barrier in the median.

Contra Costa County contributed $3 million to the project in Alameda County because Vasco Road is a significant regional arterial. "Residents of both counties use Vasco Road and it's important that it be enhanced to be as safe as possible," Piepho said. "We need to continue to work to improve the roadway for motorists and to help the traffic flow more freely."

Contra Costa County is currently working on a design for a concrete median barrier for a section of the road where serious collisions have occurred, and is looking to widen Vasco with a passing lane in the Brushy Peak area. The project is anticipated to cost about $15 million.

As part of the road's routine maintenance, Contra Costa County workers will be replacing the flexible delineators next weekend. Motorists should avoid using Vasco Road from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17 and Sunday, Nov. 18. Delays of approximately an hour are anticipated.

Piepho recommended motorists take an alternate route, following Interstate 580 east to Grant Line Road and using Grant Line to the Old Byron Highway to get to the Brentwood and Discovery Bay area that weekend.

"As unusual as it seems, if Interstate 580 is moving, the trip takes almost the same time and the same amount of miles, said Piepho, who routinely uses Vasco Road to travel to Livermore and the San Ramon Valley. "I've timed it and measured it."