Gilroy
– Some local bicyclists and pedestrians are noticing the
widening and re-paving of Santa Teresa Boulevard is moving right
along.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – Some local bicyclists and pedestrians are noticing the widening and re-paving of Santa Teresa Boulevard is moving right along.
The city and road workers, though, want them to remember the busy street still has no sidewalk or bike lane, and won’t for another 10 months.
“It’s a construction zone,” said Steve Beams, engineering inspector for the city. “The general public is seeing a new road and traveling it like it’s open, but we are informing the public that it’s not really the best idea to get into a construction zone while you have tractors, water trucks, and cars backing up.”
Granite Construction Co., of Watsonville, is roughly one week away from opening the west half of Santa Teresa to traffic. That half of the street, which will eventually comprise of two southbound lanes, has been closed since August during the construction of new soundwalls and re-paving. Crews will then close the east side of the boulevard to begin the same work on what will become two northbound lanes. The entire project, including landscaping, and new sidewalks and bike lanes, is expected to last until December.
In the meantime, Beams suggests bicyclists and pedestrians use an alternate route and stay out of what could be a danger area. The construction zone between First Street and just north of Sunrise Drive is filled with numerous trucks and backhoes at any time.
“(Construction workers) know the basic kind of safety language, as far as hard hats and reflective vests to see each other, and if you don’t pick up on that … it’s very difficult to pick up a jogger in a black suit with headphones on that we can’t see,” Beams said.
One worker had a scare last week when he narrowly missed a pedestrian he could not see, which “scared him pretty bad,” Beams said. And while Gilroy police are helping enforce the 35 miles per hour construction speed zone, Beams said more signs are needed because motorists aren’t getting the hint. He himself has almost been hit several times, he said.
“This is a huge safety concern,” Beams said. We don’t want to see anyone get hurt.”
The traffic switch-over from the east side to the west side of Santa Teresa will start the week of Feb. 21. Drivers should be especially cautious during that time, when driving on the 1.3-mile stretch, said Don Dey, city traffic engineer and project manager.
He did not know precisely when the two-day switch will occur, but said residents will notice workers painting the new lane lines and working on traffic signals in the intersections.
There will be some inconvenience during the switch, but new signs and flaggers will help direct drivers, Dey said. First, drivers will be re-routed to the new lanes and the traffic signals at the intersections of First and Longmeadow Drive will be switched to the west. Mantelli Drive and Welburn Avenue will have stop signs, but the lights there should be ready the following day.
“People will be driving on the brand-new pavement,” he said.
With the cooperative weather of recent weeks, crews have gotten out of the vicious cycle of potholes, Beams said. More rain is expected next week, but he did not think it will have much of an effect, though it could delay the completion date.
“It only takes one pothole to get me nervous, Beams said.
