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San Jose, CA—The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is scheduled to begin pile driving activities on the State Route (SR) 152/156 Improvement Project beginning the week after Christmas. The piles will be used in the construction of the SR 152 eastbound flyover which is expected to be operational by fall 2008.

The work, to be done during daytime hours, involves driving steel shafts called piles into the ground until striking solid material. Pile driving is needed to construct the foundations for two abutments (a structure that supports the end of a bridge) and two bridge columns that will securely support the SR 152 eastbound flyover. The crews will drive 204 steel piles, all approximately 80 feet long. Because of the remote location of the construction, there are no residences or businesses expected to be impacted by the noise and vibrations.

"This is an extremely important intersection to truckers, commuters and travelers," said Donald F. Gage, Chairperson of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and member of the VTA Board of Directors. "Moving into this next phase of construction means we are that much closer to improved safety and traffic mobility through this crucial east-west corridor." The SR 152/156 intersection, located southeast of Gilroy near the foot of Pacheco Pass, is a notorious congestion point for commute and freight traffic traveling between Interstate 5 in the Central Valley and U.S. 101 in Silicon Valley. The construction of the SR 152 eastbound flyover is expected to significantly reduce congestion at the intersection by eliminating the left turn against oncoming traffic currently required of westbound SR 152 traffic attempting to access westbound SR 156.

Construction updates, information about lane closures, one-way traffic controls and detours for the intersection improvement project are posted on www.vta.org and also distributed to traffic bureaus and other media outlets.

The SR 152/156 Improvement Project will reconfigure the 152/156 intersection in southern Santa Clara County from an at-grade to a grade-separated intersection at a cost of $34.8 million. Construction of a one-lane elevated flyover structure (overpass) for eastbound SR 152 is expected to be completed by fall 2008 with the realignment of westbound SR 152 to westbound SR 156 (and removal of the left turn pocket) following. Work began in May 2007 and is expected to be completed in Spring of 2009, weather and conditions permitting.

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About VTA
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is an independent special district responsible for bus, light rail and paratransit operations; congestion management; specific highway improvement projects; and countywide transportation planning. As such, VTA is both an accessible transit provider and multi-modal transportation planning organization involved with transit, highways and roadways, bikeways and pedestrian facilities.

For more information about VTA services, call VTA Customer Service at (408) 321-2300, (408) 321-2330 (TDD only). Or, log on to www.vta.org.