Commission punts 178 decision back to staff
| Friday, Sep 18 2009 11:41 AM
Last Updated Friday, Sep 18 2009 11:43 AM
The proposed reclassification of Highway 178 as a "collector" from Rancheria Road to the mouth of the Kern River canyon was referred back to planning staff by the Bakersfield Planning Commission Thursday night.
The Nickel family, the developers of the area's Rio Bravo Ranch project, had asked for the downgrade from "arterial" status to shrink the size of the route and allow more access points from their property to the road.
City staff strongly opposed the move, saying a future freeway that would take traffic between Bakersfield and communities in the Kern River Valley off of the stretch of road is decades away from reality.
James Nickel accepted the city's concerns, said City Planning Director Jim Eggert.
But Nickel asked for some extra time to make sure he, Caltrans and the city are all on the same page about how the highway should work, Eggert said.
