MADERA – Work is expected to begin soon on a project to widen Highway 99 through Madera, taking it from four lanes to six.

At its October 2018 meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 17, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) approved State Route 99 (SR99) Bond Program funding for widening State Route 99 in Madera from Avenue 12 to Avenue 17.

“The Madera County region will receive over $84 million in State funds for this important project which will improve traffic congestion, goods movement and safety,” says Patricia Taylor, Executive Director of the Madera County Transportation Commission (MCTC).

“Two years ago, the Madera County region was hit hard by a funding shortfall from the 2016 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The gas tax revenue established by SB 1 allowed the CTC to restore many projects that were cut, including the SR99 widening projects in Madera County.”

“This project has been a long time in the making,” said Madera County Supervisor Brett Frazier. “On behalf of the residents of Madera County and the many motorists that use this dangerous portion of 99 we’d like to thank our partners at Caltrans for working with our local leaders to make us all safer!”

“Improving Highway 99 has been a top priority for me,” said Congressman Jim Costa. “It’s about creating safer roads. This project will stem the bottleneck that drivers experience every day through the heart of Madera. I want to commend Mayor Medellin, the City Council, and the Transportation Commission for their hard work. Together we made a difference. We have more work to do, and I’m committed to getting the job done.”

The Madera County SR 99 widening project funding and description is as follows:

The project runs the 8-mile commercial corridor in the heart of the City of Madera. This is the busiest segment of SR99 in Madera County and it is also one of the few remaining four-lane sections of the Golden State Highway through the San Joaquin Valley.

The widening of SR99 from four-lanes to six-lanes will be accomplished by adding a lane each direction, primarily within the existing median in both the northbound and southbound direction of travel.

Funding for the project comes from several local and state funding sources:

Local Measure T $4,850,000

State Funds $71,247,000

SR 99 Bond Savings $14,970,000

Total $91,067,000

Work is scheduled to being in spring 2019, and the anticipated date for completion is fall 2020.

According to the MCTC, it is not known at this time if the passing of Proposition 6 in the November election, which would repeal SB1, would affect this project.

A link to the California Transportation Staff Report is available on the Commission’s website here (Tab 89, 90, 91, and 94).

The Madera County Transportation Commission (MCTC) is comprised of the cities of Chowchilla and Madera, and Madera County. MCTC is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the Regional Transportation Planning Agency (RTPA) and the Transportation Authority for the Madera Region. MCTC addresses regional transportation issues.