Measure S work on Lighthouse continues, nighttime work begins this month

MONTEREY — The citywide road resurfacing that began in Monterey last month and is expected to continue this month will continue to cause traffic delays.

Monterey is in the midst of phase four of the Measure S Citywide Road Resurfacing Project that was paused in October 2023 due to winter storms. It was picked up again in March and road work started April 1 and will finish in late May, according to the city’s timeline.

The roads included in this project are Lighthouse Avenue from David Avenue to the Lighthouse curve; Fremont Street from Munras Avenue to Aguajito Road; Munras Avenue from Fremont Street to Soledad Drive; Aguajito Road, Don Dahvee Lane, and Alta Mesa Road.

Road work continues on Lighthouse Avenue and several other streets in Monterey, slated to continue through May. The city posted a schedule online with a slurry seal scheduled for next week. (Photo by Kyarra Harris/Monterey Herald)

Work continues on Lighthouse Avenue intermittently during the day, with nighttime work scheduled for May 13 and May 14. The first steps were to create six-inch dugouts along the roadways, the next step is to slurry seal all the streets within the project and then come back and stripe the newly paved streets.

“The city is working to minimize disruptions to both residents and businesses including traffic impacts and night time noise. Utility adjustments and striping removal work will take place,” a statement from the city website reads.

The day work on Lighthouse is expected to start Monday and will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with one lane closure at a time. The lane closures will be isolated to the areas where utility work is on-going. Officials to have that work done by Thursday. Striping started on Munras Avenue during the day.

“The schedule will be set for the least traffic impact as possible, with crews starting after the morning commute, however, travelers should expect some minor delays,” said Deputy Public Works Director Andrew Easterling in a press release. “The good news is the roads, once resurfaced, will be smooth and have refreshed markings when we are done. The slurry seal treatment not only looks and drives better, but also keeps the pavement in good repair longer, and costs the city less to maintain in the long run.”

Measure S is a continuation of a one percent sales tax that was approved by more than 70 percent of voters in November 2014 for infrastructure rehabilitation, originally titled Measure P. The scope of Measure P was to fix streets, sidewalks, storm drains, and install accessible ramps and signals at intersections. Measure P sunset in March 2019 and Measure S was approved by two-thirds of voters which provides an additional eight years of funding, through March 31, 2027 to complete the repairs.

The street repairs will also indirectly help with traffic congestion, according to the city website. Many of the county’s larger traffic reduction projects are funded through Measure X, placed on the ballot in 2016 by the Transportation Agency and approved by 67 percent of voters.