The Southwest Voice

The Bakersfield City Council awarded a contract launching another road improvement project under the Thomas Roads Improvement Program, or TRIP.

The $9.25 million contract was awarded to HNTB, Corp. for preliminary engineering services on the Centennial Corridor South Project. Contracted services include numerous environmental studies, conceptual layouts of project alternatives, and the supporting documentation necessary to complete the draft and final environmental documents.

The project is the eighth TRIP contract that city council has awarded since mid July. It is one of the projects that former Congressman Bill Thomas identified for funding in the 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act.

If you want more information about the act, you can visit:  www.fhwa.dot.gov/safetealu/index.htm

 For more information about the new project, you can  visit: www.bakersfieldfreeways.us or call Janet Wheeler at 326-3491.


Cal State Bakersfield women’s soccer coach Nicole Van Dyke was taken out of the intensive care unit Oct. 25 and her condition upgraded from critical to good following a night of rest and observations by doctors at Mercy Southwest Hospital.
Van Dyke was injured in an automobile accident in the late afternoon of Oct. 24 as she was exiting the CSUB campus onto Camino Media just hours before her team was to take the field against Westmont College.

The requested zone change by developer Tom Carosella to build a shopping center at White Lane and Buena Vista Road is set to be discussed at the Nov. 1 meeting.

The center would have a Fresh & Easy Market, Walgreens, Cruz Thru car wash, a Starbucks with a drive-through lane and two fast-food restaurants.

The 10,000-square-foot Fresh & Easy, a neighborhood market from British food giant Tesco, is smaller than mainstream grocers.Prepared meals and gourmet items are available.

The public and members of the Bakersfield Planning Commission had concerns about increased traffic and noise from the center, dubbed Mustang Square, which is across the street from Stockdale High School.