Congested Balfour Road exit on Highway 4 needs a redesign
QWhat in the world caused Caltrans to design the Highway 4 interchange at Balfour Road with the ridiculous exit and access?
When exiting Highway 4 going south, there is only one left-turn lane at the light but two rightturn lanes. The majority of traffic is making the left turn, except those that now turn right to cut through neighborhoods after turning right on the red to avoid waiting for the green light or even to make a U-turn at the Eagle Rock Way light. There should be two left-turn lanes and one right turn lane.
It’s too late now, but to access Highway 4 from Balfour going east one has to make a left turn at a left-turn light and go over an overpass. Why didn’t they just cut a right-turn lane that would have been simpler and less costly to build? — Frank Heinisch,
Brentwood
AWhen this design was approved years ago it made sense, but then the patterns and pace of development changed. Development in the west has not kept up with the pace of development to the east, which has changed the traffic patterns from what was originally assumed.
There is a future project to complete the interchange and construct the westbound Highway 4 bridge and additional ramps. At that time, they’ll reevaluate traffic patterns and adjust the improvements to address development patterns.
QI decided to get a Real ID ahead of my Dec. 20 renewal date and took your advice to just show up at the DMV office on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Santa Teresa office in San Jose.
I had submitted an online application and had all the necessary paperwork, got in and out in 35 minutes. The only sour note was when I bragged about your advice to the DMV photo lady she called you a not-very-nice-name and said, “That doesn’t work.”
To which my reply was, “Worked for me.”
— Karen Norton,
San Jose
AAnd for many others. This was a tip from the DMV on how to avoid long lines to get your Real ID card.
QWhy hasn’t the Dumbarton Bridge HOV lane (westbound approach to the tollbooths) been redesigned after metering lights were installed? It is exacerbated by the double-yellow preventing HOV drivers from merging right into empty cash lanes after the tollbooths.
I have passed giant, slow-moving cargo trucks near Interstate 880 only to see them right next to me after the tollbooths. Sometimes the left FasTrak lane backs up almost to Newark Boulevard.
— Aryan Kayal
AI have heard of nothing being proposed by Caltrans to change operations at Dumbarton. Everything you stated about traffic operations has been occurring since at least 2006 and perhaps earlier.