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San Jose Mercury News, Calif., Gary Richards Column: Roadshow: Despite Traffic, Sunday Night Safest for Hwy. 17 Construction

Posted on: Thursday, 22 June 2006, 12:00 CDT

By Gary Richards, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.

Jun. 22--Q Whoever scheduled construction activities on Highway 17 starting at 8 p.m. Sunday night (Father's Day) should be stuck in a traffic jam in perpetuity where the top speed never exceeds 3 mph. Why couldn't they start at midnight like most major construction efforts? Traffic returning from Santa Cruz to San Jose is bad enough on a nice Sunday evening with all lanes open, particularly on a day like Father's Day where many people had family outings. At 10 p.m. it took over an hour to get from Mount Hermon Road in Scotts Valley to Laurel Curve where the action was taking place. There was one spot for about 100 yards where I actually got up to 10 mph. . . . It took me two hours Sunday night to get over the hill at 9 p.m. . . . I hope Caltrans is not going to do construction on Highway 17 every Sunday night the rest of the summer. What a stupid move. How long will this take?

David Norlander, Brenna Bolger, Kurt Diesner and many, many more

A The Highway 1 project at Highway 17 will take three years to complete; the Highway 17 work up to Granite Creek will be done in late August and includes widening the shoulder and adding guardrails. But, more work will be done on Sunday nights, so I'd avoid this area anytime after 8 p.m. State officials say they need to work five days a week to finish on time and say working Sundays is the lesser of two evils. They don't like working Friday nights as there are more drunken drivers on the road. Even though traffic may be heavier on Sunday nights, those drivers are more cautious.

One break: No work will take place Sunday, July 2.

Q Why is the Highway 17 repaving between Highway 1 and Granite Creek being done now? I drive this road nearly every day, and it just isn't that bad. There are a few stretches that could use a fresh coat of asphalt, but overall there is nothing seriously wrong here.

Andy Bensky Scotts Valley

A There have been problems with water leaking onto the roadway, which some safety officials believe may be the reason behind a rise in crashes. Caltrans is using porous asphalt, material which allows water to more easily drain from the highway. Warm weather is needed in a repaving project like this. Work will be done weekdays northbound from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. and southbound from 8 p.m. to noon. One lane will remain open in each direction, and no two consecutive ramps will be closed at one time. But expect delays.

Q I drive to Sacramento on I-205 where it narrows to two lanes. All traffic comes to a stop, and you crawl for about an hour until you get to I-5. But why has the speed limit been lowered to 55 mph through here? Will they be using the windfall profits from the new speed trap to pay for widening that miserable two-lane stretch of road? . . . Is the new 55 mph speed limit in preparation for the work that will begin to widen 205 to three lanes? What alternatives can you recommend during this construction?

Chester Simpson, Paul McElherne and a few dozen more

A The speed limit was lowered to 55 mph last week to slow drivers down during construction to add a third lane in each direction. Caltrans often does this in construction areas, such as on Highway 87 in San Jose where the speed limit is 55 mph as that widening work continues. Construction will start soon on the $92 million, 10-mile widening effort on I-205 from 11th Street to I-5 and take two-plus years. Most work will be done between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., but the mere presence of construction barriers will make a slow trek slower. In addition, Caltrans is adding a truck-passing lane on a three-mile stretch on I-580 from Patterson Road Pass to I-205. That work will be finished in 2010. As for alternates to I-205, Roadshow readers may offer a few.

Q I am a recent transplant to the East Bay from Mountain View. I travel on Interstate 80 to San Francisco every day, and people have told me about casual carpooling but no one can tell me specifics or where to find information on how it works. Where can I find details?

Kris Durst Crockett

A Visit http://rideshare.511. org/carpooling/casual.asp or go to the casual carpool page at www.ridenow .org/carpool/ for a list of pickup spots.

Casual carpooling refers to informal carpools that form when drivers and passengers meet at certain locations, most commonly on the I-80 approach from the East Bay to San Francisco in the morning. Most people take transit back to the East Bay in the afternoon. There's a new casual carpool spot in San Francisco on Beale Street, between Howard and Folsom.

Contact Gary Richards at mrroadshow@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5335.

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Copyright (c) 2006, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: San Jose Mercury News

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