The bells are missing
‘What happened to the little signs that go on the bells that sit
along U.S. 101? Some say Historic El Camino Real and some are
missing. Just wondering, what happened to them? Thanks.’
The bells are missing
‘What happened to the little signs that go on the bells that sit along U.S. 101? Some say Historic El Camino Real and some are missing. Just wondering, what happened to them? Thanks.’
Dear Wondering,
Red Phone placed a call to Caltrans, where spokesperson Brigetta Smith said she’s passed along your question. Each bell placed along U.S. 101 should be accompanied by a Historic El Camino Real sign.
“They’ve either been stolen or have fallen off,” Smith said. “But, we’re looking into it.”
In 2004, a Saratoga man purchased the company that made the original bells that were first placed along the highway in 1906. He approached Caltrans and the project to install the roadside mission bells along the original El Camino Real – which linked the 21 California missions and follows much of U.S. Highway 101 – on its span from San Diego to Sonoma.
The original bells first went up starting in 1906, to guide travelers and to preserve the old highway Father Junipero Serra traveled while establishing the California missions. So, stay tuned. When Smith gets back to Red Phone, Red Phone will get back to you.
What’s up with the bridge?
“When will the Sixth Street bridge be complete?”
Dear Short But Sweet,
Red Phone enjoys callers who are right to the point, and right to the point you are. Red Phone called Transportation Engineer Don Dey, the man in the know for all things transportation. He said the bridge is scheduled to be finished in the spring of 2009. The bridge, known as the Camino Arroyo Bridge, since it will span Miller Creek at Camino Arroyo near the east end of Sixth Street. The idea is to provide a corridor between the Gilroy Premium Outlets and the two shopping centers off 10th Street in southeast Gilroy, thus eliminating some of the traffic that backs up on the 10th Street overpass.
Traffic is a nightmare
“The way traffic comes from Wren Avenue to Miller Avenue down Third Street past El Roble school – I swear I’ve seen them do 50 mph or faster. They ought to make a four-way stop at Santa Theresa Drive and Third Street. That’s the only way to slow them down; it’s terrible.”
Dear Traffic Crusader,
Again Don Dey has an answer. He said the city is currently studying the location because the city can’t just go putting up stop signs wherever they feel like it.
“We don’t know that it’s feasible or not until we finish our evaluation,” Dey said. “Stop signs are not meant as speed control. They are for right-of-way traffic safety. It’s a delicate issue. Putting in stop signs does not mean it’s safer. Past history shows that most of our accidents occur at traffic controlled intersections.” He said that if the city just started installing stop signs everywhere, drivers would begin to disobey the signs. “Once that happens,” he said, “it generates the potential for an accident.”
