FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

02-27-09 815AM

BRENTWOOD, CA – Contra Costa County Supervisor Mary Nejedly Piepho, District III, announced today that the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has granted $10,000,000 (ten million) for the Vasco Safety Improvement Project at their Wednesday meeting. Vasco Road has been a top priority for Supervisor Mary Nejedly Piepho since her first term in office and this allocation of funds comes in response to an earlier request for funding to support the Vasco Safety Improvement Project.

Vasco Road is a north/south arterial between the Byron/Brentwood area in Contra Costa County and Livermore in Alameda County. Vasco Road has become a major commuter thoroughfare serving as an alternative to the congested I-680 and SR-4 corridors.

The funding allocation from MTC for the Safety Improvement Project on Vasco Road is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). In addition to the federal stimulus funds, the project will be funded with Proposition 1B funds, developer fees, and a federal earmark from the City of Brentwood. The funding will be used to construct Phase 1 of the proposed Safety Improvement Project on Vasco Road. The first phase of the project is in the Brushy Peak area and consists of constructing a 1-mile concrete barrier and lengthening a southbound 1-mile passing lane for a total continuous passing lane of 5.5 miles. Both phases of this project will improve safety on the Brushy Creek section of Vasco Road, an area that is experiencing the highest concentration of severe collisions.

Construction is currently estimated to begin in the summer of 2010. Overall community and public safety efforts have been successful, culminating in over two years of zero fatalities on Vasco Road.

For more information, please contact Supervisor Piepho’s office at 925-240-7260.