Relief on Lawrence Expressway won’t be coming anytime soon
QDue to increased traffic on Lawrence Expressway southbound after 5 p.m., it takes close to
25 minutes to go from Highway 101 and Lawrence to Poinciana Drive.
Can they tweak the signals on Oakmead Parkway, East Arques Avenue, Kifer Road and Monroe Street to improve the flow of traffic on Lawrence Expressway? — Shantanu Joshi
AAlas, no. County engineers say this is the most congested stretch on any expressway, and unfortunately the signal timing cannot do anything when the expressway is saturated. There are plans to build underpasses at Arques Avenue, Kifer Road and Monroe Street that would greatly help. This is the highest priority for all county expressways. However, that project is still years away, and the estimated $434 million cost could soar.
The county also may look at reversible lanes, but design work has been delayed because of the lawsuit filed against the Measure B sales tax that is currently tied up in the courts.
My only suggestion is to avoid the 5 to 6:30 p.m. commute times. Outside of those hours, traffic begins to ease — on some days.
QThe El Camino RealHighway 92 interchange is a mess with two additional turning lanes and no end in sight. They used to have regular cloverleaf ramps. What is the reason behind the renovation? — Walter Kaplan, San Mateo
AThis is the look on almost all new interchanges — think Highway 101-Willow Road in Menlo Park. They have been turned into partial cloverleafs on one half, with direct ramp connectors to the other half. This eases merging backups on the ramps. It’ll cost $16 million and should be done in a few months.
QThis is the weirdest speed limit I’ve seen: A black and yellow placard stating that the limit is 7.5 mph at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation underground parking garage in Palo Alto. — Tom Shoup, Los Altos
AThis is an attempt to slow down drivers. A 10 mph sign might not garner much attention, but 7.5 mph could. It’s a strategy used on Quito Road in Saratoga, with 19 mph and 22 mph signs before tight curves.
QI recently received a carpool lane violation ticket at 9:30 a.m. at McCarthy Boulevard onto Highway 237. The carpool sign does not indicate hours of operation and I thought it was past carpool lane time. It seems the hours of operation should be posted. — Linming Jin, San Jose
ABad news. If hours are not posted, carpool hours are in effect 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as is the case at almost all carpool lanes from city street onramps.