Visions of vehicles sitting bumper to bumper along Highway 101
and clogging intersections throughout Gilroy are a nightmare Garlic
Festival goers appear to have avoided this year. Despite orange
cones marking construction zones along Santa Teresa Boulevard,
Monterey Road and Luchessa Avenue, city officials and area police
insist that construction will not heavily impact traffic during the
festival.
Gilroy – Visions of vehicles sitting bumper to bumper along Highway 101 and clogging intersections throughout Gilroy are a nightmare Garlic Festival goers appear to have avoided this year. Despite orange cones marking construction zones along Santa Teresa Boulevard, Monterey Road and Luchessa Avenue, city officials and area police insist that construction will not heavily impact traffic during the festival.
“Anytime there are cones on the road … you are going to get somebody slowing down out of concern or curiosity,” said California Highway Patrol Officer and spokesperson, Chris Armstrong. “But I don’t think it will be a problem.”
Over the course of the three-day event, about 120,000 people are expected to attend – and they aren’t all walking. Festival officials estimate about 50,000 vehicles will flood the parking lots.
“It will be overwhelming. So that’s why we have to keep things moving,” Armstrong said. “Otherwise, traffic will be backed up onto the freeways.”
There will be about 20 CHP officers on duty during the festival, monitoring traffic at major intersections.
“We’re in constant communication with each other,” Armstrong said. “Sometimes we will open an extra lane (to keep traffic moving.)”
According to city transportation engineer Don Dey, there are two main routes festival goers can take.
Northbound traffic exits onto Monterey Road and snakes along Luchessa Avenue and Thomas Street towards Santa Teresa Boulevard, coming up behind the festival.
Southbound vehicles exit onto Masten Avenue and follow along Santa Teresa to the main entranceway.
“We will be giving extra green time to Santa Teresa so that the traffic can keep moving,” Dey said. Extended green lights will occur north of First Street.
“In the past we’ve always had two lanes of traffic on Santa Teresa … the traffic through the construction won’t be any different than it has been in years past,” he said.
Garlic Festival enthusiasts are not recommended to use either the Leavesley Road or 10th Street exits due traffic associated with the outlets. The idea is to keep traffic out of the downtown area.
The Santa Teresa expansion project stretches from Sunrise Drive to First Street and is the largest area of construction motorists heading to the festival will encounter.
While construction on Santa Teresa was under way at last year’s festival, crews were called off from working the Friday during the festival.
This year, construction crews will be allowed to work Friday. However, their presence should not be felt by passing vehicles.
“This year the project is more isolated,” said Steve Beams, engineering inspector on the project.
Crews will work in small pockets along the roadway, with no heavy machinery binge used, and disruptions to traffic patterns should be limited, he said.
“We’re going to accommodate the Garlic Festival as best we can,” Beams said.
Gilroy police and the CHP will closely monitor the traffic to ensure the ride is as smooth as possible. From atop the hills near Gavilan College, CHP Sgt. Dave Hill will manage the flow of traffic on a perch dubbed “Hill’s hill.”
There he will view traffic heading north along Santa Teresa and U.S. 101 and south along the highway and Monterey Street. From that vantage point, he will be able to provide information to officers directing the flow on the ground.
“By monitoring traffic we have a continuous flow – you’re really not at a stand still, it’s just a little slower than usual,” said Gilroy police officer Justin Matsuhara. “Festival goers should anticipate delayed traffic coming into Gilroy.”
