County hears ideas to improve Highway 68

Dozens of Highway 68 commuters voiced their concerns Thursday night during a workshop which focused on the future of the main route between Salinas and Monterey.

The road could be seeing some new changes as early as next year, but representatives from the County of Monterey Transportation Agency are asking for advice from the public first.

“It’s a beautiful drive, but it is hell during the commute,” said Matthews Sundt, a commuter from Salinas.

Commuters like Sundt tell KION that they do whatever they can to avoid the traffic on the two lane road.

“I don’t do very well with peak commute hours so I get in and out very early… or very late,” said Sundt.

This is also why transportation officials are kicking off a new study of Highway 68.

“So this a chance to get a sense from the residents, the commuters and the business people around the corridor as to what issues they have,”said Debbie Hale from the Transportation Agency of Monterey County.

Traffic and safety were the main concerns, along with the timing of intersection lights, but drivers also talked about animals on the road.

“Many years ago I watched a deer get hit by one car and then again by another,” said Sundt. “It was a disaster. “

This is an issue county officials are looking at. They tell KION that they are considering culverts which allow the wildlife to go under the road, instead of over it, but they want you to weigh in first.

“We want to make sure this a publicly driven study and not just a bunch of bureaucrats making recommendations,” said Grant Leonard from the Transportation Agency of Monterey County.

Widening the road, creating a bypass through Fort Ord were some of the suggestions, but residents have several ideas…including adding roundabouts.

“It is a pearl necklace of signalized intersections, “said Sundt. “They need to be taken of and replaced with roundabout pronto.”

If you want your input heard please CLICK HERE.