When will weed-choked 85, 280, 101 ramps be cut back?
Q We have a critical problem. It’s spring and the weeds are growing particularly fast and high. Numerous interchange exits and entrances have blocked visibility so bad that a vehicle often pops into view literally two or three seconds before you merge with them. My beat is Highway 85 but other freeways suffer this safety hazard as well.
Robert Zimmerman A That they do.
Q My wife and I recently moved to the San Jose area, and I have a question for you. When driving on local freeways (Interstate 280 in particular) I can’t help but notice how unkempt the landscaping is along the sides of the freeways and in the ramp areas. Lots of weeds and overgrown plants.
Has there ever been a push to clean up those areas and make them more attractive? We came from L.A. and although the freeways down there are nightmares, I never noticed anything quite like this. Jon Fidani A Los Angeles is more tidy than us? That hurts. Q The weeds by my house are taller than me at Highway 85 at the Fremont Avenue exit in Sunnyvale. Horrible. Cindy Castillo Sunnyvale A Cindy stands 5-foot-2.
Q I have been stewing for months about the ugly interchange I face every day — westbound Highway 237 to southbound 85. The tall, woody weeds have never been cleared for more than the five years I have been passing here. ... When exiting I-280 to El Monte Road, the weeds have grown to the point where it’s very hard to see oncoming traffic on eastbound El Monte, creating a dangerous merge. Who owns responsibility for this? ... I commute on Highway 101 from Belmont to Mountain View. I get off at San Antonio Avenue. When you loop off that exit, there are tall weeds that block your view of oncoming traffic. It’s very difficult to see when it is safe to merge, and I’m concerned. Andy Carter, Fred N., Paula
Fredian and Ed Russell A You should be. Caltrans is responsible for the ramps at interchanges and is way behind clearing these areas because of the need to fill potholes, repair slides and other storm damage. It may take until sometime this summer before crews catch up.
In the meantime, email Caltrans at https://msr.dot.ca.gov/ to file a maintenance request.
Q Would you please explain to me why the speed limit varies so much on Parkmoor in San Jose? From Meridian to Menker, it is 40 mph. From Menker to Leigh, it is 30 mph. From Leigh to Bascom, it is 35. I understand why it drops to 25 from Bascom to MacArthur, but not the others. When you come out of the Food Maxx parking lot, the folks coming from Meridian want to run you over. Penny Martell A You are correct. There are too many different speed limits along that section of Parkmoor. The sign at Menker was incorrectly showing 30 mph when it is in fact a 40 mph zone from Meridian to Leigh. The city will replace the sign at Menker with the correct speed limit in the next couple of weeks.