Highway 12 paving begins

Commuters may be the only ones who don’t notice the Caltrans paving project under way on Highway 12 between Agua Caliente Road and Fremont Drive – but locals will likely hear all about it.
“It’s only happening at night,” Caltrans spokeswoman Alicia Sequeira said Monday. “The work will get very noisy at times.”
But Sequeira said the scheduling wasn’t meant to discomfit residents so much as to keep traffic disruptions to a minimum during the roughly two weeks crews will need to grind, dig and repave the roadway – first lining storm drain openings with black sandbags to prevent runoff from the 4,000 tons of asphalt used. Work will commence daily at 8 p.m. and cease at 6 a.m., and flaggers will be onsite to direct drivers.
“You’re going to be losing like a lane here or there,” Sequeira said, adding that any specific delays should be no longer than 15 minutes.
The 7.1-mile stretch from Agua Caliente to Schellville isn’t the only part of Highway 12 getting a spruce-up. Daytime projects include sewer maintenance near Waterman Avenue and culvert repair between Kunde Winery Road and the Kenwood Inn. In addition, South Valley drivers can expect one-lane delays this week along Highway 121 between Ramal Road and the Sonoma/Napa county line.
Sequeira said the Sonoma portion of the project should be completed by Aug. 15.