This option widens the two-lane section from the County line to the Milpas Street interchange (12.8 miles). The addition of one lane in each direction would require widening the travelway pavement by 12-feet on each side and the inside shoulders to be 10-feet each. The outside shoulders would also be increased to 10-feet in width where it is less than that today. To accommodate the new lanes and wider paved shoulders, 34 to 38 feet of width overall would need to be removed from some combination of the median and roadside vegetation. Where the vegetation is taken from would not have to be the same all along the 12.8 miles. It could vary to avoid losing the most valued landscaping.
With this alternative most bridges would need to be widened or rebuilt in order to accommodate the additional lanes.
Charts Show Peak Traffic from a 2003 Study. Click each chart to see a larger PDF Version in a new window.
