Gilroy
– As many as 20 large trucks were rotating through northwest
Gilroy this week, hauling away the old pavement from Santa Teresa
Boulevard as the city’s widening project continues.
Working on the east side of the street has posed new safety
hazards as the trucks enter and exit the construction zone, said
Steve Beams, an engineering inspector with the city.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – As many as 20 large trucks were rotating through northwest Gilroy this week, hauling away the old pavement from Santa Teresa Boulevard as the city’s widening project continues.
Working on the east side of the street has posed new safety hazards as the trucks enter and exit the construction zone, said Steve Beams, an engineering inspector with the city.
The signals at the intersections of Longmeadow Drive, Mantelli Drive, and Welburn Avenue will be intermittently placed on “red flash,” which requires drivers to treat them as four-way stops.
“A lot of (drivers) go through the red flash like it’s not working, and disregard it,” Beams said. “We’re worried about their safety as well as ours, so we’re just trying to get the word out.”
Trucks must enter and exit the construction zone through those intersections because a curb runs along its edge, Beams said.
Workers this week have been grinding the existing asphalt and hauling it away, Beams said. Next, they will be working on underground utilities.
At various times of day – although generally with the exception of about 8am and 3pm – drivers may see the red lights flashing, or flaggers holding “Stop” signs.
By law, drivers must stop as though it were a four-way stop. Without honking, Beams asked.
“I have a sharp eye and a good memory, and I have (Gilroy police communications) on my cell phone,” he said. “So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride out here.”
