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Just wondering if the school district, city and county have
traffic improvement plans set for the Santa Teresa/Day Road area
around the under-construction Christopher High School? I assume
widening and traffic signals are planned, including turning and
merging lanes. If parents think Solorsano traffic is bad because of
only one outlet, the new high school will be a nightmare. Am I
being too optimistic assuming that traffic improvements will soon
begin?
”
City traffic engineer says improvements are planned
“Just wondering if the school district, city and county have traffic improvement plans set for the Santa Teresa/Day Road area around the under-construction Christopher High School? I assume widening and traffic signals are planned, including turning and merging lanes. If parents think Solorsano traffic is bad because of only one outlet, the new high school will be a nightmare. Am I being too optimistic assuming that traffic improvements will soon begin?”
Dear Wondering, Red Phone contacted Traffic Engineer Don Dey, who said no, you are not too optimistic. The school district has prepared design plans for improvements around the high school.
“Three traffic signals are proposed,” he said. “One at Santa Teresa and Day Road east, another at Santa Teresa and Day Road west and a third at Day Road west and Cougar Court, along with typical improvements of pavement, sidewalks and all that. The plans are in the final stages of review check by the city. So hopefully we’ll see construction begin out there in the very near future. The school district and the city are working together, and there will be a number of improvement for the high school out there by the time it’s planned to be open.”
What’s up with the weeds
“My backyard faces what used to be the Las Animas school field. Last week they came and mowed the weeds, but left them against my fence. What can be done? Weeds are quite high and fire season is coming. Can someone come and remove them? Thank you for your help.”
Dear Concerned, Red Phone contacted Fire Marshal Jackie Bretschneider, who said she’s looking into whether or not the weeds have been removed.
“This was school district property and they would take care of it; however, they may have sold to a developer,” she said. “I will look into it and make sure that they are on our list and the property owner is notified. However if there are only weeds growing up against his fence because they could only mow so close (to the fence) we typically don’t consider that a fire hazard.
So good caller, let the Red Phone if things haven’t been taken care of. As the Summit Fire brings home another reminder, it’s always better to be prepared.
Need some stop signs
“I just moved to Gilroy and found out in an instant that Hirasaki Avenue is basically a drag strip. People from the other side of Santa Teresa use Longmeadow Drive to cut over to Hirasaki so they can avoid the stop lights on Santa Teresa. Then they use Wren or other streets to cut to First Street. Is there any talk about adding stop signs?”
Dear Wants a Stop Sign, Red Phone contacted Traffic Engineer Don Dey, who said the city conducted traffic surveys in 2005 and 2007 that showed traffic on Hirasaki Avenue has actually gone down, and it is in the process of conducting another survey.
During a 24-hour period in the spring of 2005, 3,900 cars used Hirasaki between Longmeadow Drive and Mantelli Avenue. Two years later that number was 3,300 or a bout a 15 percent decrease in traffic, Dey said.
“So, it appears Santa Teresa Boulevard is doing what it’s supposed to do,” he added.
He said most neighborhoods experience motorists who know the area using various streets as shortcuts, but it’s not the majority (of drivers). Again, Red Phone will forward your concerns to Gilroy’s traffic officer, who – thanks to readers pointing out problem areas – should remain fairly busy.
