CalTrans has  presented an update to the Nevada County Transportation Commission on the Highway 49/La Barr Meadows Project and it contains some financial bad news.

click to hear Dan Landon

NCTC Executive Director, Dan Landon  says Caltrans Construction Engineer and overseer of the SR49 LaBarr Meadows project,  Dave Catania presented  four items  that led to exceeding the project allotment of funds,  and three of those items were  unforeseen, uncontrolled items that Caltrans had no bearing on.
click to hear Dan Landon

After the project got underway a new General Construction Storm-water Permit was issued for the project requiring new levels of clarity in runoff water.  That led to  $320,000 of additional costs.
click to hear Dan Landon   
Additional drainage work resulted in a  $200,000 cost over run, and by the time they did paving , Landon says   the Crude Oil Index had gone up by 40 percent  adding another  $218,000 to the project.

Landon says Caltrans presented two options.

click to hear Dan Landon

The other option is to complete all the work, go $840 thousand dollars over budget  and ask the California Transportation Commission to advance funds to be shared by Cal trans and NCTC.  But Landon says that means continued improvements on Highway 49 between LaBarr Meadows and McKnight  could be delayed.
click to hear Dan Landon

The Nevada County Transportation Commission has called a special meeting for Friday February 15th  to decide which direction to take  in the  SR 49/La Barr Meadows road Widening Project. The meeting will be at the Nevada County Board of Supervisors Chamber at the Rood Center beginning at 9a.m.