Relief may be in sight as plan for 101/Trimble project advances
QYou’ve probably written about this previously, but Highway 101 south to Highway 87 is considered one of the most problematic merges in your polls of drivers, and many believe it is the cause of the daily horror show on 101 from Lawrence Expressway to Oakland Road.
The real problem, though, is the Trimble Road/De La Cruz Boulevard cloverleaf — the same problem that plagued the 101/Willow Road cloverleaf until the recent rebuild: three lanes on Trimble go down to two over 101, no merge area onto 101 south, etc.
Is there a plan to reconstruct Trimble/101 and add a dedicated lane from 101 to 87, and if so, when? — Bill Adler Mountain View
AYes, and now that the lawsuit over the Measure B transportation tax has been upheld, work will be moving ahead. The 101/Trimble project is in the design phase, and VTA anticipates that it will be fully funded once Measure B funds are available. Design is anticipated to be completed in summer 2020 and construction in late 2022.
And there will be two exit lanes from 101 to 87.
QI was shocked and dismayed when I read of your support of high-speed rail or the train to nowhere. I would like to direct your attention to the editorial in the Mercury News last week titled “State’s bullet train constructed with foundation of deceit.” In a state with a mountain of unfunded liabilities, this is beyond stupid, and you can’t fix stupid. Anything the government does takes longer than stated, costs more than stated and does not perform as stated. — Rich Garlow Sunnyvale
AIn some cases that is true — think of the Bay Bridge. But there are projects done on time and on budget — think of Highway 85. The cost of extending high-speed rail from the Central Valley to San Francisco is now estimated at $77.3 billion, which is more than double the projected cost from 10 years ago. Should the state go ahead with it? Experts are split, so stay tuned.
QPerhaps this is a nit in the grand scheme, but time, dirt, vandalism, etc., have taken their toll on the signs in the median of Interstate 280. Just take a trek north from downtown San Jose to De Anza Boulevard. Particularly in low light, the reflective surface is no longer able to do its job. I’m sure this isn’t the only spot with this issue, but can Caltrans do anything about it? — Kim Karcher
AI hope so, for the appearance of some of these signs is a disgrace and has been so for many months. Caltrans has graffiti crews that handle vandalism on its signs, but many are covered with dirt and soot. Go to https://csr.dot.ca.gov/ to let them know exactly where and what type of maintenance needs are to be addressed.
Or just take a drive on 280.
Look for Gary Richards at Facebook.com/ mr.roadshow or contact him at mrroadshow@ bayareanewsgroup.com.
Contact Gary Richards at grichards@ bayareanewsgroup.com or 408-920-5037.