There are only three ways for drivers to connect between Carmel Valley and points north: Highway 1 near Carmel at the mouth of the valley to the northwest, and Arroyo Seco Road to points near Greenfield that connect to Highway 101 to the southeast, both north/south arteries.
In between, Laureles Grade connects Highway 68 to Carmel Valley Road. A stop sign at the T where Laureles Grade hits east-west traffic on Carmel Valley Road leads to some bad traffic backups, and a tough left turn during busy times.
That has led to years of discussions and studies about how to improve safety and traffic flow at the intersection, and in 2018, a study of the Carmel Valley Road corridor led to a focus on a roundabout. It has long been a priority project for the Carmel Valley Road Advisory Committee.
Going back at least as far as 2007, a traffic study conducted for the County of Monterey by DKS Associates found that intersections on western Carmel Valley—Carmel Valley Road and Highway 1, Carmel Rancho Boulevard and Carmel Valley Road, Crossroads Boulevard and Rio Road, Highway 1 and Rio Road—resulted in moderate but acceptable delays, "with the exception of the intersection of Laureles Grade and Carmel Valley Road," which DKS determined resulted in an average 46.3-second delay per vehicle during peak morning traffic, and a more than 50-second delay in evening peak travel times.
Finally, shovels will break ground. Construction is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 23, with work during daytime hours of 8:30am-3:30pm. The project is expected to take nine months to complete, with an estimated completion date of March 11, 2026. (Construction will be suspended for Car Week Aug. 8-18 due to anticipated high traffic.)
Two-way traffic controls will be in place during the construction, and emergency vehicle access will be allowed 24/7 at the project site.
Pleasanton-based Teichert Construction was awarded the bid for the work; construction is estimated to cost $3.8 million. The entire project cost, including engineering design, utility relocation and construction, is estimated at $5.6 million. It is funded through a combination of Carmel Valley traffic mitigation fees, a grant from the Monterey Bay Air Resources District and Measure X, a voter-approved, countywide transportation tax.
For updates on the project, visit the County Public Works website.
(1) comment
I know many people are resistant to round about. I was. But where I live in Salinas there are several outside my subdivision. I hated them during construction but now I love them. It has made life so much easier. The flow is great. No sitting in my car at stop lights or waiting for the traffic to let me in. The person in the circle has priority so you yieldfor them and then go! There is a learning curve but now I wish we had more of them. They will make commuting on 68 a much better experience.
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