[ad_1]
A “carmageddon” of epic proportions will problem San Joaquin Valley drivers in search of to chill off in the summertime warmth by heading to Monterey or Santa Cruz.
As recently detailed by Fresno Bee columnist Marek Warszawski, plans are underway to cut back Freeway 152 — the primary artery from Los Baños to Freeway 101 and the coast — from 4 lanes to a single lane in every course on the San Luis Reservoir.
The rationale? So the dam on the storage facility may be enlarged and maintain extra water in heavy rain years, which might profit residents and farmers all through within the state.
The difficulty, Warszawski defined, is how the upper water degree of the larger lake will threaten to inundate a stretch of the freeway alongside the dam. For that cause, the roadway must be made greater in that part, and that may require lane closures.
According to Caltrans, between 35,000 and 38,500 automobiles traveled on Freeway 152 on the reservoir in 2021, the newest knowledge obtainable. The figures signify annual common every day journeys. On the peak, every day journeys have been properly previous 40,000 automobiles. The height hour determine was 3,600.
Opinion
Take away half of the street’s capability, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see {that a} gigantic site visitors mess will consequence. How do you say gridlock?
This street work is just not supposed to start till 2028, so there isn’t a must push the panic button simply but.
However Caltrans, the counties of Merced and Santa Clara (which meet on the reservoir) and the town of Los Baños will not be serving to issues by being silent on this deliberate site visitors jam.
Residents of Los Baños, particularly, might be impacted, as many newcomers have situated there from Silicon Valley whereas maintaining their jobs within the San José space. These commuters rely on a free-flowing Freeway 152 to get to work on time, after which again dwelling within the afternoons and evenings.
However there isn’t a discover in regards to the deliberate street work on the city of Los Baños’ website. Neither is there any point out on the web site of the Merced County Association of Governments, an company that handles transportation planning.
For its half, Caltrans says it’s going to put up indicators to warn motorists, however they’ll go up only a month earlier than the street work begins. A site visitors management plan has not been accomplished.
That stated, Caltrans spokesman Brian Hooker stated the company “might be engaged in a collection of public outreach measures to tell motorists of the development schedule and related site visitors impacts. These public outreach measures could contain issuing public service bulletins, encouraging various routes and carpooling whereas potential, sending out media/press advisories and challenge mailers, issuing weekly site visitors advisories (socials, web site, electronic mail blasts), holding public workshops, and offering a challenge web site the place the general public can be taught extra in regards to the challenge and development schedule.”
Too quiet
Deborah Lewis, a member of the Los Baños Metropolis Council, says neither Caltrans nor the federal Bureau of Reclamation, which owns the dam at San Luis Reservoir, have stated a lot in regards to the roadway challenge so far. She doesn’t need commuters to be shocked.
Jesse Torrez is a type of every day drivers. He advised Warszawski that he leaves Los Baños round 4 a.m. to get to his job in San José on time. Then he leaves at 2 p.m. and comes again to Los Baños, the place he stops at a Starbucks espresso store and opens his laptop computer laptop for a last few hours of labor.
Warszawski referenced bottlenecks created by single lanes within the development zone projected to last as long as one yr. “That’s going to have a big impact on lots of people’s existence,” Torrez advised him. “My schedule is my schedule. I don’t have any extra hours left to present.”
Better ridesharing?
The varied ranges of presidency ought to mix forces to land grants that might, in flip, fund ridesharing companies so Torrez and others in Los Baños may no less than be passengers in a bus or van and do work whereas touring to and from their jobs in Silicon Valley.
Corporations in that area can even enable their staff who can work remotely to do exactly that.
Fresno County residents wanting to go to the coast ought to overlook making it a day journey. As an alternative, motorists from Fresno can head to Paso Robles after which take Freeway 101 north to get to Monterey and Santa Cruz. That’s not very best, however it could be a better drive than navigating nation roads by no means meant for prime site visitors volumes, like Freeway 198, which winds by means of the hills from Coalinga to King Metropolis.
“Carmageddon” was the time period used to explain the anticipated site visitors nightmare alongside the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles when it needed to be shut down over two weekends in 2011 for roadwork and a bridge alternative. The freeway is without doubt one of the most closely used roads on this planet. So a serious public relations effort was mounted to alert drivers of what was to come back.
The consequence? Many Angelenos stayed dwelling, and the anticipated gridlock didn’t happen.
The state of affairs involving Freeway 152 is totally different. However with good planning and communication, which want to start out now, impacts may be lessened. Right here is hoping.
[ad_2]
Source
