At each of the three major off-ramps into Gilroy (1st Street, 10th Street, and Monterey) there is so much weed build-up, uncontrolled shrubs, trees are not trimmed or cared for, and rubbish that blows around and finds its way into our waterways. Also, the road surfaces, signage, and striping are in dire need of attention. Why doesn’t the city or county agencies take care of these “Gateway” areas into Gilroy? These off-ramps give the first impression of our town, could be more attractive, but are degraded by this lack of care and attention. Are there ANY plans in the numerous grand plans that Gilroy has put out there to address this?
Red Phone:
Red Phone is more than happy, good caller, to investigate the “Gateway” on-off ramps of Hwy 101 in Gilroy. As it turns out, the condition of the on-off ramps falls under the jurisdiction of Caltrans. Red Phone contacted Caltrans’ Santa Clara County Public Information Officer, Bernard Walik, to help shed some light on this messy situation.
Walik explained that there is an ongoing Caltrans project to install metering lights at the on-ramps of Hwy 101. The construction will be completed in summer 2015. Caltrans and VTA will start activating the metering lights in late summer, early fall 2015,” said Walik.
Walik confirmed that Caltrans is responsible for the maintenance of the ramp landscaping. He said, “Caltrans maintenance crews in Gilroy have been working on mowing, tree trimming and weeding, and removing litter in these areas. They are working in the direction from Morgan Hill towards Gilroy. Last week they started working on the Tenth St. ramp in Gilroy. Our focus will be the Tenth St. ramps north and south, and then continue on the other ramps in Gilroy and San Martin areas.”
Walik also said, “The Gilroy maintenance crews are responsible for repairing or replacing damaged sign posts. They also carry out night inspections of signs, and will replace them if needed.”
Regarding road conditions needing attention, Walik did not mention anything specific for the on-off ramps in Gilroy. If vigilant citizens observe any need of maintenance work on Caltrans roads, Walik asks that people use the Caltrans Maintenance Service Request (MSR) at the following URL address: http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/maint/msrsubmit/ to request the maintenance work. Walik explained, “Even though there are dozens of these submitted on a daily basis it helps us keep track of maintenance requests and subsequent follow up.”
