MEDIA ADVISORY

Date: September 22, 2011

Contact: Rose Willems

Phone: (559) 251-6709

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FRESNO COUNTY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY ANNOUNCES STATE ROUTE 180 EAST KINGS CANYON EXPRESSWAY RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD @ 10:00 A.M.

The Fresno County Transportation Authority, the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and Teichert Construction will celebrate the completion of the first segment of the State Route (SR) 180 East Kings Canyon Expressway Project on Friday, September 23rd at 10:00 a.m.

The public is invited to attend a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to be held on the newly built eastbound lanes of DeWolf Avenue and State Route 180 intersection. This project received $18.4 million in stimulus funding from President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). The Kings Canyon Expressway Segment 1, built at a total cost of $67.6 million, extends SR-180 eastward, on a new six-mile, four-lane expressway from Temperance Avenue to Quality Avenue. This project is a partnership between the Fresno County Transportation Authority, Caltrans and the Fresno Council of Governments. In addition to Recovery Act dollars, funding was provided by federal demonstration funds and local Measure “C” sales tax funds.

Event speakers will include: Mistress of Ceremony, Judy Case; Vice Chair, Fresno County Transportation Authority; Malcolm X. Dougherty, Caltrans Acting Director; Linda Halderman, Assembly member-District 29; Darius Assemi, Commissioner, California Transportation Commission; Phil Larson, Chairman, Fresno County Board of Supervisor’s; Amarpreet Dhaliwal, Chair, Fresno Council of Governments; Joshua Mitchell, Mayor of Sanger; Bruce Batti, Chairman, Greater Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce; Steve Badilla, Assistant Chief, California Highway Patrol-Fresno Area.