Highway 92 plan is back on track By MATT KAPKO Half Moon Bay Review April 13, 2005 The Metropolitan Transportation Commission announced Tuesday it would restore $2.4 million to pay for widening Highway 92 near the busy Main Street intersection and that work would begin this summer. The announcement comes weeks after the commission said it had cut $3.8 million in state funding for the project. At that time Half Moon Bay officials worried the project was dead for the foreseeable future while they sought alternative funding sources. MTC Commissioner and former San Mateo County Board of Supervisors member Mike Nevin said some of the money was restored after conversations with Half Moon Bay elected officials. The money comes from a $122 million pot of federal transportation and environmental quality funds that were freed up because of MTC's conservative forecasting and efficient spending, Nevin said. He described it as a "one-time windfall" of federal funds. "We were lucky enough to beat to the punch other projects throughout California," he said. The infusion of unexpected federal funds comes with a Sept. 30 deadline. Half Moon Bay still has to secure the remaining $1.4 million for the project to be completed as currently designed. The commission is scheduled to vote tonight on the spending plan, which would revive numerous transportation projects throughout the Bay Area. Nevin said he anticipated no trouble passing the measure. "I think this is the most important highway project in San Mateo County right now," Mayor Jim Grady said. "Half Moon Bay is sort of the beach playground for San Mateo County. (Highwy 92) is a vital road improvement for folks on the Coastside," he said. Grady cautioned, however, that the project still isn't complete and that additional funding to the tune of $1.4 million still needs to be secured. "Don't count the chickens before they hatch," he said. "We're aggressively working and we're cautiously optimistic." Public Works Director Paul Nagengast was still taking in the fresh news Tuesday and a little unsure of its source. "This is all news to me," he said. Nagengast said he still plans to have the project ready for construction sometime this summer and said an updated work schedule on the project would be available soon. "I'm going to have schedules by the end of the week," he said. "I think we can still close this (funding) gap," Councilman Mike Ferreira said. "It really is just a shaking of a tree." Ferreira anticipates that the project's importance to the region will carry some weight in obtaining those funds. "I think we can get some priority from other funding sources," he said. While the windfall of funds won't pay for the entire project, its seen as a significant and unexpected development by everyone involved. "(Half Moon Bay officials are) a whole lot closer than they thought they were a week ago," said Nevin aide Seamus Murphy. The Highway 92 improvement project is scheduled to double the width of the roadway from Highway 1 to a point 240 meters east of Main Street. It carries a total price tag of $13.5 million, of which at least $3 million has already been spent on planning and preparation. Before Tuesday's announcement, the city had already put aside about $7 million for the project. The Legislature recently suspended $3.84 million in State Transportation Improvement Program funds. That money is still unavailable. Home