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Highway 25 corridor plan draws sustained public concern; COG says committee will decide next steps
Summary
Public speakers and board members pressed Caltrans about Highway 25 alignment, farmland loss and safety; the COG said the corridor committee will re‑examine the route adoption and bring recommendations back to the board.
Residents, landowners and multiple board members told Caltrans and the San Benito County Council of Governments on March 20 that they remain unclear about why a specific Highway 25 alignment was chosen and raised concerns about prime farmland, safety and the level of public engagement.
Board members recalled a March 12 workshop on Highway 25 that included Caltrans, county and city staff and a California Transportation Commission commissioner. Directors said they left the workshop wanting clearer explanations for the project’s route selection and design choices.
Executive Director Abraham (identified in public comment and board discussion as the COG executive) told the board the agency will take a step back and develop materials to answer the "why" questions and to support informed decision‑making. "Pencils down — let's just think through this," Abraham said, describing plans to bring more detailed analysis and options to the board in the coming months.
Several public speakers urged the COG to prioritize farmland preservation. Marie Hoffman described U.S. Department of Agriculture soil‑rating maps and asked the board to review them before finalizing any alignment. "Everything that you see in green is rated 1a, which is the highest rating given to soil in the state of California," Hoffman said, adding she would email the maps to the COG.
Directors and members of the public also discussed near‑term safety improvements for Highway 25. Caltrans said a safety analysis led by district and headquarters safety teams is nearing completion and that short‑term safety measures could be implemented while environmental and corridor design work continues.
The meeting included a procedural clarification about authority. Board Chair Velasquez and several directors emphasized that the COG and its corridor committee will make the policy recommendation to Caltrans; committee chair remarks reiterated that the committee will decide whether to pursue the existing route adoption or an alternate alignment and will present clear recommendations to the full board in the next two to three months.
Ending: Caltrans will complete and share its safety analysis; the COG said its corridor committee will revisit route choices and produce a set of recommendations and information — including the rationale for alignments and tradeoffs — so the board and public can evaluate alternatives before the project proceeds further.
