New Route for Salinas Drivers | Events

SALINAS, Calif.- It was an expensive and much-needed project to upgrade and construct a whole new Airport Boulevard Interchange in Salinas for the thousands of trucks and drivers that use that route every day.

On Thursday, the Congressman Sam Farr joined Caltrans, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC), and the City of Salinas to celebrate the completion of the new $24.4 million Airport Boulevard Interchange with a ribbon-cutting event held at the Salinas Municipal Airport.                         

"Facilitating the movement of goods is critical to supporting our local economy and central to the success of our agriculture industry," said Congressman Farr in a news release. "The completion of the Airport Boulevard Interchange Project will go a long way in ensuring that our roads are flowing and helping our agriculture goods reach their destination, as well as helping to relieve local traffic and improving safety."

The new interchange, which began construction in September 2010, includes a wider bridge over US 101, new northbound ramps, and new signals and other improvements to Airport Blvd. and De la Torre. The interchange is used by more than 2,700 interstate trucks each day during the growing season.

"This project represents tremendous teamwork," said Monterey County Supervisor and TAMC Board Chair Simon Salinas in a news release from TAMC. "The team of Caltrans, the City of Salinas, the County of Monterey, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County, Congressman Farr, and, the contractor, Pavex,  all worked together to make this interchange safer and more convenient for everyone."