It’s good news that the Santa Clara Valley Transportation
Authority is pushing ahead with plans for a flyover at the Don
Pacheco Y, in spite of the San Benito County officials’ ill-timed,
ill-advised and baseless objections. That said, some interim relief
should be offered to drivers who have to suffer through this
chronic bottleneck.
It’s good news that the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is pushing ahead with plans for a flyover at the Don Pacheco Y, in spite of the San Benito County officials’ ill-timed, ill-advised and baseless objections. That said, some interim relief should be offered to drivers who have to suffer through this chronic bottleneck.
The Don Pacheco Y, the intersection of highways 152 and 156 near the San Benito-Santa Clara county line, is a major gateway route for drivers to reach U.S. 5 in the Central Valley, and it is prone to nightmarish traffic jams in the case of an accident or on getaway weekends.
The purpose of the flyover project is to ease congestion of eastbound 152 traffic, which often backs up 13 miles to U.S. 101 on weekends and holidays. In the current configuration, westbound 156 travelers must stop at the intersection. Good Samaritan drivers on Highway 152 often stop to allow that traffic to pass, turning the stretch between Gilroy and the intersection into a two-hour stop-and-go headache.
Some have suggested that California Highway Patrol officers conduct traffic breaks, or direct traffic during peak periods, but CHP officials have said these ideas create more problems than they solve.
So, with a desire to reduce wasted time, fuel and to relieve frustration and pollution, here are two thoughts:
n Establish a Pacheco Pass route radio frequency and erect traffic information signs all through the area advertising the frequency. Use the frequency to alert drivers to traffic problems and to explain alternate routes, such as taking U.S. 101 directly to Highway 156. On heavily travelled weekends and holidays, this could turn that two-hour nightmare into a 30-minute delay.
n One reader suggested putting a green light on eastbound Highway 152 so drivers will know not to stop. That makes sense. Could a permanently lit green traffic signal indicate to folks who are unfamiliar with the intersection that they are not to stop for westbound drivers who want to turn left onto Highway 156? So-called “Good Samaritan” drivers who stop to allow left turns onto 156 are the cause of much of the back-up during peak traffic times. With a green light glaring at them, eastbound drivers should revert to ingrained rules of the road and keep on trucking through the Don Pacheco Y.
Officials – most prominently new CHP Captain Otto Knorr – should quickly and seriously consider these ideas – and others the community might offer – as inexpensive ways to relieve the congestion until the flyover can be built.
The construction plan calls for beginning the project in the fall of 2006. Completion is projected to be in the summer of 2008.
Drivers deserve relief before that.
