While the VTA is confident that the I-880 widening will start ontime, they say the 101 project could be delayed ifenvironmentalists file suit to limit the widening to no more thanthree lanes each way. The Valley Transportation wants to addcarpool lanes, widening the road to eight lanes. A crushing blow tothe widening plans was the Loma Prieta and Northridge earthquakesthat prompted then-Governor Pete Wilson to take money away from thehighway construction to seismically retrofit bridges statewide.

According to a source with Caltrans, the agency gets morecomplaints regarding those two roads than any other in the BayArea. "People drive down Morgan Hill and see all that space justsitting there along 101 and 880 and that's just awful."

The $100 million-plus projects come nearly six months ahead oforiginal plans to being work, but nearly five years after votersapproved a sales tax increase to pay for the extra, and overdue,lanes. A portion of the project fee will come from the approvedsales tax while the remaining will come from state funds.