Ledger-Dispatch

By Jerry Budrick (jbudrick@ledger-dispatch.com= )=20

The Crossroads Shopping Center may get = a left=20 turn into a development that will have Walgreen's and other = stores.

Photo by: Jerry=20 Budrick
In the world of traffic and = transportation,=20 "soon" can mean 10 or 20 years from now, while temporary can be five or=20 10.

That was one of the lessons learned during Thursday night's = meeting=20 of the Amador County Transportation Commission, which covered a lot of = ground in=20 a very short time.

Changes are in the works for dealing with = situations=20 affecting traffic in Sutter Creek, Pine Grove, Plymouth, Ione and = Jackson. But=20 the night's biggest surprise may have been the knowledge that something = may come=20 to pass this year at one of the county's most impacted intersections: = Ridge Road=20 and Highway 49, locally referred to as Sutter Hill.

Walgreen's = has=20 replaced Rite-Aid on the large wooden sign that stands in the churned-up = soil on=20 the northwest corner of Sutter Hill. The sign invites other businesses = to join=20 Walgreen's in completing development of a shopping center to be known as = Crossroads. To this point, others have been reluctant, due to a question = of=20 access via a left turn from eastbound Ridge Road.

Through the = combined=20 efforts of the city of Sutter Creek, ACTC, state Department of = Transportation=20 and project developers, a compromise appears to be in the = offing.

Sutter=20 Creek City Manager Rob Duke sounded pleased to say that all the = government=20 people have agreed to allow creation of a left turn into the complex as = a=20 temporary solution. "The best solution," he said, "is alignment of = Bowers Drive=20 and Forest Products Road (to the west of the project)," which will = provide=20 access to a western entrance to the shopping center.

Such an = alignment,=20 however, will take some years to accomplish. Estimates vary between five = and 10=20 years, very soon by transportation standards, but an eternity to=20 developers.

Project developer Dennis Griffin is enthusiastic = about the=20 breakthrough. "This will give us years to educate the traffic pattern," = he said.=20 "The city of Sutter Creek can certainly use this shopping center. Rob = Duke and=20 the city have been working really hard to put this = together."

ACTC=20 Executive Director Charles Field carefully suggested that, if all = continues to=20 go well, Crossroads Shopping Center could begin to happen this = year.

A=20 number of action items were referenced during the meeting. Commissioner = Dave=20 Richards twice raised the issue of the traffic light at the intersection = of=20 Highway 49 and Ridge Road. Field spoke of the misplaced Valley View = street sign=20 at the Sutter Creek end of the Highway 49 bypass. Commission Chair Louis = Boitano, a county supervisor, expressed hope for road striping requested = by his=20 constituents, adding that he "would like to see it done by tomorrow = night. It is=20 an election year."

Commissioner Richard Forster, also a county=20 supervisor, described a growing visibility problem at the intersection = of=20 Sutter-Ione Road and Highway 124. Forster also spoke of seeing what he = said=20 "looked like a Caltrans convention around the dip at the Sutter Creek = Bridge on=20 the bypass."

Caltrans representative Dan Brewer told the = commission he=20 would forward all requests to Caltrans' maintenance division.

Of = major=20 importance to virtually all transportation projects in Amador County is = the=20 continuation of the Tri-County Regional Transportation Improvement = Program, or=20 RTIP. Twelve years of cooperation among the three counties of Amador, = Calaveras=20 and Alpine have worked very well, according to transportation officials. = The=20 Highway 49 bypass is a reality largely due to funding provided through = the RTIP.=20 Angels Camp is next in line to benefit from the RTIP, with construction = on its=20 bypass set to begin this coming construction season.

Members of = the=20 transportation commission unanimously passed motions to do their part to = perpetuate the Tri-Counties as a funding mechanism for projects in the = three=20 counties. One motion approved the draft memorandum of understanding = among the=20 three county transportation agencies. The second motion approved = submission of=20 the RTIP to the California Transportation = Commission.

Commissioners=20 discussed funding for bypasses in Pine Grove, Jackson and = Ione.

Field=20 outlined the difficulties facing the commission.

"There is some = funding=20 presently available for planning a Pine Grove bypass or highway = improvement=20 project," he said. "What must be decided is the scope of the project. If = a=20 decision is made to pursue a bypass estimated to cost $83 million, it is = not=20 likely to happen soon. If a highway improvement project with costs in = the area=20 of $15 million to $20 million is chosen, progress may be = possible."

Jerry = Budrick