Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Gridlock on Highway 1, last Monday's edition


Location:  southbound, paving between Fassler Avenue and Reina del Mar.  Problems with Caltrans to City notification is discussed in the article. 

Image result for Highway 1 Pacifica traffic bottleneck picture
  A wide highway allows access to
maintenance and emergencies.
Yet, NIMBIES opposes Modernization.
Pacifica Tribune/Jane Northrop, 8/4/15.  "Caltrans roadwork upsets drivers lost email triggers traffic gridlock." 

" ....  Traffic cones prohibited drivers from using one lane starting at Fairway Park. To make matters worse, a two car non-injury accident around noon on the southbound highway near the Moose Lodge exacerbated the gridlock.

According to a Caltrans press release, the paving work and lane closure was supposed to be over at 3:30 p.m. but Caltrans still had a southbound lane blocked throughout the afternoon rush hour and into the evening.  ....  One Vallemar resident tried to wait the traffic jam out by eating dinner over the hill instead of at home, only to find the traffic just as bad at 8 p.m. By then Pacifica police officers were directing the traffic and getting more cars through the roadway.

....  A press release from Interim Police Chief Dan Steidle states "...  Caltrans used proper signage and sufficient cones to reduce traffic flow to one lane; however, the width of the remaining roadway kept speeds low..."  Read article.

Related -  City of Pacifica/Police, Press Release, 8/3/15.

Note photograph by Peter Loeb, the "alternative" PH1A lawsuit group, protesting highway 1 widening, Pacifica Riptide, 3/29/14.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

1 comment:

The Local Libertarian said...

Source: http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/08/04/caltrans-apologizes-for-pacifica-road-work-that-caused-traffic-meltdown/

Caltrans closed one southbound lane of Highway 1 around 9:30 a.m. Monday morning between Mori Point Road and Rockaway Beach Avenue for repaving, which caused significant traffic impacts, according to Pacifica’s Interim Chief of Police Dan Steidle.

That situation got worse after an accident nearby around 12 p.m., which delayed completion of the repaving work. The work ran late into the night when crews ran out of asphalt. Mixer trucks with more asphalt were stuck in traffic.

Navarro also told KPIX 5 the driver involved in the accident almost hit some Caltrans crews and they were shaken up.

One of the comments:

This story missed the bit about the road rager who drove into the fresh asphalt and screwed everything up, probably necessitating the need for more asphalt. Maybe that was the 'accident'.

I hope its not the usual suspects indulging in over the top tactics. I hope not.