PITTSBURG (KRON)—Good news for East Bay drivers who pass through the troubled Highway 4 corridor.
On the same week the city of Pittsburg activated new cameras along a portion of the highway in that city, the county Board of Supervisors approved a move to add even more cameras in the area.
KRON4’s Philippe Djegal reports near Highway 4 with what one supervisor says about the plan.
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors are redirecting some funds to make this happen.
We’re talking about $100,000 in grants to purchase for more cameras, license plate readers and any infrastructure needed for them to set up.
More than a dozen cameras have already been set up along Highway 4 in Pittsburg.
They went online this week. Now, with this grant money approved by the Board of Supervisors, additional cameras and license plate readers will eventually be set-up along the highway in Antioch and Bay Point.
The money coming from is coming from the Keller Canyon Landfill Mitigation Fund…
County money collected throughout the year to alleviate some of the Pittsburg landfill’s impact on neighboring communities…
Several organizations are receiving grants from the fund which totals $1.5 million dollars.
But in addition, Contra Costa County Supervisor Federal Glover says the Highway 4 shootings were enough of a concern and danger to the community for a portion of those funds to be used to purchase the new surveillance equipment.
“Any infrastructure that’s outside on the freeway, we’ll be able to attach cameras to it in order to make it happen,” Glover said. “We’ve been working really closely with Caltrans in making sure that the proper use of the cameras, the location of the camera are in the proper place.”
Glover says that right now, there isn’t a timeline as to when the new equipment will be purchased.
But he points to the city of Pittsburg which after it made their request for funds for surveillance equipment, it took about six weeks for them to get the cameras set-up along Highway 4.