Caltrans previews Ninth Avenue interchange options, schedules public scoping meeting

Caltrans officials presented Tuesday evening to the Hanford City Council a set of preliminary designs for a new interchange at State Route 198 and Ninth Avenue and said the project is now at the public scoping phase of environmental review.

The project “will provide continuity along operations on State Route 198,” Caltrans project manager Victor Aldama told the council, describing the primary objective as closing the gap between the existing interchanges at Tenth Avenue and State Route 43 and upgrading roughly a 1.5-mile segment of SR-198 to freeway standards.

The agency showed five interchange alternatives — including cloverleaf, partial cloverleaf, spread-diamond and a spread-diamond with roundabouts — and discussed expected multimodal improvements such as bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Some options would require removing or rerouting local streets and constructing new frontage roads; Caltrans staff said impacts to adjacent businesses and properties will be studied during the environmental phase.

Aldama said the environmental document approval target is 2028 and that construction is tentatively scheduled for 2032. He presented preliminary cost ranges during the meeting; Caltrans listed roughly $80–$89 million for one of the smaller-footprint alternatives and said costs rise with larger footprints. (Some cost figures read aloud in the presentation were garbled in the public audio record and could not be confirmed from the transcript.)

Mayor Paden asked whether Hanford would be required to provide matching funds. “So what is entailed?” he asked. Aldama said Caltrans typically works with the Kings County Association of Governments and the city on programming STEP and other funds and that staff would meet with city staff to discuss local contributions and scheduling.

Caltrans staff emphasized the project is still in early planning: the agency is at scoping and expects to circulate a draft environmental document for public review later in the process. Aldama invited the public to a scoping meeting scheduled for Oct. 14 at City Hall to review alternatives, ask questions and submit comments.

Council members and residents voiced support for better traffic flow and multimodal access to the planned Heroes Park, and several asked for attention to pedestrian/bike connections and for coordination with the city’s Lacey Avenue improvements and future Ninth Avenue development.

Caltrans also introduced its local team members and noted the agency plans a project manager transition in coming weeks. Staff repeatedly described the estimates as preliminary and dependent on the environmental and right-of-way phases.

The presentation and a staffed information table at the Oct. 14 scoping meeting will be the public’s first formal chance to comment on alternatives.

Ending: Caltrans said it will collect public comments at the scoping meeting, refine alternatives during environmental review and return with a preferred alternative after the draft environmental document is circulated. The agency and city staff said they will provide more detailed funding and property-impact information as the project advances.