Caltrans offers four options for widening the Rio Vista Bridge

RIO VISTA — Although state transportation planners are taking a step forward to widen the Rio Vista Bridge, there was little encouraging news Thursday about reducing accidents and congestion along Highway 12 between Lodi and Rio Vista.

The Highway 12 Association met at noon at The Point Restaurant. The group is a citizens group working to make Highway 12 safer.

Rio Vista City Councilwoman Jan Vick encouraged citizens to attend a public hearing that will present ways to widen the Rio Vista Bridge.

California Department of Transportation officials foresee four different ways to create a four-lane road over the Sacramento River at Rio Vista:

1. Widen the current drawbridge.

2. Submerge a tube into the river to create a tunnel.

3. Build a tall, four-lane bridge north of the existing bridge.

4. Build a tall, four-lane bridge to the south.

Vick encourages residents from all cities to become educated and give their views on the four options. The hearing will be held at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 24 at Rio Vista City Hall on Main Street next to the Sacramento River.

Sgt. John Pitts of the Suisun City Police Department reported that the accident rate on Highway 12 through his city has increased; however, there have been no fatalities in 2008.

The state advised him not to use overtime in the city's effort to write more tickets on Highway 12. Until the state budget stalemate is resolved, the city will not be reimbursed through its enforcement grant from the California Highway Patrol, Pitts said.

In addition, Pitts said he is concerned that double traffic fines for violations on the dangerous highway are not being levied by traffic referees in the Solano County Court in Fairfield. The court's full-time traffic referee has been laid off and various private attorneys are being rotated through the position.

He encouraged the association to write the court and call attention to the problem.

The association's members also received discouraging news from Bob Macaulay, director of planning for the Solano Transportation Authority. He is trying to plan long-term, major improvements to Highway 12 from Fairfield to Lodi.

Although Caltrans encouraged Solano, San Joaquin and Sacramento counties to create a joint agency to plan the improvements, it turned down a request for planning money in the latest budget. Macaulay said he plans to meet with Caltrans officials and see if a small amount of state support might be sent to the counties to create some progress this year.