Curiosity abounds
Red Phone has recently been swamped with calls regarding the work being done at Third Street and Wren Avenue. Following is a small – very small – sampling of the calls.
–Â “Just wondering what’s going on at Wren and Third Street. All four turning lanes have been blocked off with black asphalt curbing that they’ve painted white and it goes out into the main drag so that there is no left turn anymore. It’s all four corners. What’s going on? Be interesting to know.”
– “Hi, what in the world are they doing at Third and Wren with the asphalt curb? It’s on the four corners of Third and Wren. Thanks.”
– “I’m calling to complain about the traffic light they’re putting in at Third and Wren Avenue. What are they thinking? This is a residential neighborhood, there’s an elementary school on one side, a senior center on the other and a park down the street. If they put in a traffic light, cars will be speeding to get through the green light. I’m sorry, but this doesn’t make sense to me. Can you find out more about this? Thanks.”
– “Hi Red Phone. I was wondering if you knew what’s going on at the corner of Third and Wren and if those curbs they put in are permanent. Any information on this is welcome.”
– “I’m just wondering if you could find out what the city was thinking when they did the curbs over at Wren and Third by El Roble School. They eliminated any right turns and now you’re just going to have traffic jams. The only logical thing I can think of is they’re trying to do something for the Garlic Festival. Can you look into that?”
– “I noticed that at the intersection of Wren and Third there is some type of street work or curb work being done. How long will this work take? What is this for?”
– Hey Red Phone. Can you tell me what the heck is going on at the intersection corners of Wren and Third? Is this a permanent thing? How come the turn lanes are gone? Are we going to get those back? If not, this is going to be a traffic nightmare. Thanks.”
Red Phone:
OK curious, frustrated and/or angry callers, here’s what it found out from Gilroy’s own City Traffic Engineer Don Dey.
“The developer for Oak Commons is installing a traffic signal at Third and Wren,” he said.
Dey said the situation is temporary and “will be resolved once the construction is complete.”
According to Dey, the intersection design includes the removal of the current “pork chop” islands and extending the street curb and gutter for a more standard looking intersection. Once the intersection and traffic signal are complete there will be left turn lanes in every direction as well as the standard through lane. The contractor is trying to complete all work in the summer to avoid pedestrian conflicts from the school area as much as possible.
