Despite skeptics, improvements on 101 and 87 will be coming
QLove your statement that was meant to cheer us up and ease our frustrations over near gridlock. “One more lane from 101 to 87 in a couple of years.” Oh, goody!
One more lane would be obsolete now.
There is no way new road construction will ever catch up or keep up with the population growth and auto infestation in the Bay Area. Need to face the truth, Roadshow. Let the faithful know. There are no improvements coming, folks. Sorry. — Joe Picone, Sunnyvale
AJoe is not the only skeptical soul out there. Many want to know why a second exit lane from 101 to 87 will take a couple of years to be done. This is way too long to wait for this simple improvement, they say. But it is already behind schedule, as money from the Measure B sales tax was upheld for two years because of a lawsuit. The courts approved the tax a few months ago, freeing up the needed cash.
That’s the simple explanation. Now to more complicated reasons.
QMany drivers believe the Highway 101 south to Highway 87 is the cause of the daily horror show on 101 south from Lawrence Expressway to Oakland Road. The real problem is the nearby Trimble/De La Cruz cloverleaf where three lanes on Trimble go down to two over 101, no merge area onto 101 south, etc. Is there a plan to reconstruct the Trimble/101 cloverleaf and add a dedicated lane to 87?
— Bill Adler, Mountain View
AOh, yes. And your observation is right on. Several improvements will be made to the interchange, including the elimination of the southbound loop off-ramp to eastbound Trimble, construction of a new southbound diagonal ramp to eastbound and westbound Trimble, and reconstruction of the southbound diagonal on-ramp and southbound and northbound loop on-ramps.
The northbound diagonal ramp will be fed by a new road that will exit 101 south of 87. The existing exit from 101 is north of 87 and causes weaving problems.
QI’m very thankful that Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to make the DMV a better place to do business. However, I believe so many things are wrong that it is going to take a long, long time to get things running as they should. In my mind, the biggest complaint is the long wait in line no matter what you go there to do.
I have a suggestion: Have the DMV enhance things by extending everyone’s license for an extra year. For example, if one’s license expires in August 2019, they would extend it until August 2020. Think about all the activity this would eliminate at the DMV for one year. — George Fletcher, Milpitas
ANot a bad idea. DMV folks will kick it upstairs, so stay tuned.