Dear Editor:
My son Bill and I attended the meeting showcasing improvements
for Highway 152.
Dear Editor:
My son Bill and I attended the meeting showcasing improvements for Highway 152.
There were several prints of the various areas to be worked upon from Canada Road to Dunn Hill. The improvements are quite extensive and will facilitate the flow of traffic, but do not do much for those who have no alternate way to town.
Highway 152 starts at Highway 1 West of Watsonville, travels over Hecker Pass, wanders through Gilroy to Don Pacheco where 156 joins Highway 152.
At that point, Highway 152 becomes a four-lane divided highway all the way through Los Banos to Chowchilla on Highway 99, on the east side of the San Joaquin Valley, “the Gateway to Yosemite.”
For 69 miles from Don Pacheco to Highway 99 the road is a four-lane divided highway. And has been for years.
Yet, from Don Pacheco into Gilroy (a measly 15 miles) remain two lanes of ancient vintage. These 15 miles of two lanes have become a bottleneck to vacationers, weekenders, commuters, truckers and a pain in the neck to residents of the area. The improvements shown are quite extensive, however, much more is needed to complete the highway into Gilroy.
It would be more practical and dollarwise to build 15 miles of four lanes divided between Don Pacheco and Gilroy. As most of the traffic over Highway 152 is generated outside of South Santa Clara County and San Benito County it should be up to the state of California and the federal government to take care of it. Now!
Build the 15 miles, save the millions the “improvements” will cost and cure the bottleneck. The city of Gilroy is paying millions to developers to close the last practical entrance to Highway 101.
Sandoe Hanna, Gilroy
Submitted Monday, March 31
