Water Table Dictates Type of Surface Used for Freeway

Dear Street Smart:

On the San Diego Freeway between about Beach and Harbor boulevards, the surface of the freeway changes from concrete to blacktop and then back to concrete again. My question is: Why is blacktop used between Beach and Harbor and not concrete?

Michael Erickson, Fountain Valley

It’s the water--and a whole lot more.

Bad old Olympia Beer commercials have nothing to do with that section of the San Diego Freeway. Rather, it’s the level of the water table lurking below the strip of freeway that has dictated the type of road bed used.

California Transportation Department officials say that asphalt “blacktop” is typically used along sections where ground water can cause the road bed to shift and buckle. Asphalt is more flexible than concrete, which can crack and break under such conditions.

Despite the advantage of bending instead of breaking, asphalt is not the pavement of choice along Southern California’s many miles of freeway. Concrete is typically laid because it lasts twice as long (20-year life span compared to 10 years for blacktop).

Dear Street Smart:

The Times recently had an article about a radar trailer that the Sheriff’s Department set up on Marguerite Parkway to get speeders to slow down.

If the department is so concerned about safety, why did they put the radar trailer where it would block the bicycle lane? This forces bicycles to swerve into the traffic lane, which doesn’t seem very safe to me.

This isn’t the first time this has happened. A couple of years ago, a radar trailer was parked on Barranca Parkway in the middle of Woodbridge. The trailer was a little wider than the bicycle lane, so the trailer protruded into the traffic lane.

The radar did cause me to slow down, mostly because I was trying to avoid hitting it.

Adam Beneschan, Tustin

Such a scenario does sound dangerous for bicyclists. The Sheriff’s Department should take care to avoid such situations. But I also have to voice a sympathetic note to the gendarmes.

Many of the busy roads in Orange County that are good candidates for the radar trailer, which displays a motorists’ speed on a big dot-matrix screen in an attempt to slow them down, are also laced by bike lanes. There often is no place else to park the things other than smack dab in the path.

Maybe both sides could strike a compromise. The Sheriff’s Department could lay out orange traffic cones leading to the trailer so bikes have a safe path around it. And bicyclists should always keep their heads up to watch out for obstacles such as the radar trailer, even in the bike lane.

Dear Street Smart:

Your article about mechanics (Feb. 25) reminded me of my experience with my ’87 Chrysler LeBaron last year.

After only 14,000 miles the dash became dark and my fuel gauge and odometer/speed gauge were inoperative. My local dealer in Irvine, the manufacturer and mediation board refused my claim for $330.

You would do the motor public a great service by recommending reliable, reasonable mechanics. Perhaps other readers would list theirs--just as your Travel section in the Sunday edition suggests satisfactory bed-and-breakfast inns.

Emery Weiner, Laguna Hills

Dear Street Smart:

I read your column on auto mechanics with some amusement and much recognition of a very real problem.

We’ve found a very excellent mechanic in Santa Ana. He is Hiet Le (‘Hi’ for short), a 1975 refugee from Vietnam. Hi, at Lee’s Auto Repair on Harbor Boulevard, has worked very, very hard after coming to this country with nothing but his clothes. He’s a jack of all trades, but his main talent is in reasonable, honest and skillful repair of virtually any make of car.

We’ve gone to him with our aged vehicles for many years and have always been more than satisfied. His English is somewhat fractured but he’s a very good man.

Dorothy Mull, Irvine

Dear Street Smart:

After reading your column about mechanics, I wanted to share a positive one with you.

For the past eight or 10 years I have taken my car to Mission Viejo Motors, an independent Volvo-Toyota service firm. They have gone far beyond expectations many times for me.

Estimates are always right on target, they provide local pickups and drop-offs, and their rates are usually below all dealers and most other independents.

Dave Garell, El Toro

Anyone else out there have a mechanic they can vouch for or a horror story they want to share? I want to hear about those skilled mechanics who can turn your toad of a car into a dashing prince. And just maybe one of these days my own car will stop croaking.