A couple of interesting points...
http://www.tehachapinews.com/opinion/letter-to-the-editor-a-construction-update-on-highway/article_405b602c-d555-11e7-9d3d-03001e362fbd.html
Hope there is some truth to this article.
Hopefully the start date is correct because this is long overdue
I was unaware that a contract was awarded for this project as I never saw it advertised on the Caltrans website unlike the Hinkley Bypass project. If someone knows the project number (starts with "08-") and/or plans, can you please post a link. I would really appreciate it.
Now that's interesting -- I always had heard that CA 58 would cross US 395 on an overpass with a standard diamond interchange; these plans depict a EB folded diamond with CA 58 remaining at grade and US 395 on an overpass (I wonder if this is the result of kickback from whoever owns the property west of 395 and south of the planned 58 alignment). In any case, I'm just relieved that something is finally getting underway here!
From everything that I have seen, all of the proposed alignments that took the bypass north of the existing highway at Kramer Junction featured that folded diamond design and that none of the proposals took 395 over 58.
It's difficult enough as it is to get CA-58 upgraded to Interstate quality (even though the corridor badly needs it).
If by "Interstate quality" you mean eliminating the at-grade intersections, your comment makes sense but if you're talking about the general design of the highway, that's another story. For the most part, the only significant difference, design-wise, between "Expressway" and "Freeway" in California is limiting access to the highway (i.e. interchanges vs intersections).
In the case of the Hinkley Bypass, it's all freeway except for about a 1/2 mile segment at the western end where Wagner Rd intersects 58. Because of that intersection, the term "Expressway" was used in the project description rather than "Freeway".
The same will probably be the case with the Kramer Junction Bypass with all of it being freeway until it joins the existing expressway.
I've seen that image of the CA-58 exit at US-395 before. I just haven't seen how the overall bypass plan looks, such as the crucial new overpass over the rail line 2.6 miles West of Kramer Junction.
I believe the selected alignment is to the north of the existing highway. That would mean the bypass would cross the railroad about 2 miles
east of Kramer Junction.
Will the interchange with US-395 be the only new freeway style exit along CA-58? How are they going to handle highway access for the few houses and other buildings at Boron Airstrip (just East of where the current Boron freeway segment ends)?
As far as I know, the only interchange planned is with US 395. I could see an at-grade intersection at the east end of the bypass providing access to the old highway. As for the Boron Airstrip, access to that would be via Boron Avenue, Twenty Mule Team Road and the old highway.
For what it's worth, here's a crude drawing of what I believe is the proposed alignment...