When Construction Goes Smoothly, the Traffic Might Not

Dear Street Smart:

Why do so many freeways, or different parts of the same freeway, have to be worked on at the same time? Why can’t one section or stretch of one freeway be repaired with as much manpower as possible before moving on to the next?

I never see that many men working on any one project. So the projects just keep going for months and months, with traffic messed up in many different areas. There has to be a better way.

Don A. Nelson

Anaheim

Various road projects are worked on simultaneously to enhance efficiency in the use of equipment, increase productivity or respond to emergency situations, said Maureena Duran-Rojas, a spokeswoman for Caltrans, which oversees freeway maintenance and repair in Orange County.

Workers are sometimes temporarily pulled off one project to complete a more pressing one. This is frequently done to eliminate safety hazards or major inconveniences such as burned-out freeway lights, guardrails knocked out by accidents or incorrect signage.

Projects are also worked at the same time, Duran-Rojas said, because certain construction and maintenance equipment is shared by Caltrans districts statewide. When a necessary piece of equipment is in Orange County, she said, it is utilized at several projects in quick succession.

Finally, the spokeswoman said, simultaneous construction is sometimes the most efficient way of getting things done. An example is the recent rebuilding of three overpasses of the Costa Mesa Freeway in Santa Ana and Tustin. After examining the project, a team of engineers did some creative rescheduling. Instead of building the bridges one at a time, they worked on two at the same time, cutting the period contractors would be on the job by almost a third and saving Caltrans $1 million.

The engineer who headed the team won an award for the savings.

Dear Street Smart:

I have a question about the existing landscaping along a section of the Riverside Freeway. On the section of the freeway between the interchange with the Santa Ana Freeway and Beach Boulevard, clinging vines have been planted to grow on the sound walls on the south side of the freeway. I noticed that a number of these vines have suddenly turned brown and appear to be dead. What has caused this to happen . . . lack of water? . . . chemical treatment? . . . blight or parasite infestation? A recent article about oleanders prompts me to ask if the same type of problem is affecting these plants.

Bob Linnell

Fullerton

Nothing of the sort, Duran-Rojas says. The problem is that the water that nourishes the vines has been turned off while Caltrans crews construct carpool lanes. When the construction project is completed, she said, new vines will be planted to replace those that have died. Unfortunately for vine lovers, she said, that isn’t expected to happen until 2000.

Dear Street Smart:

Once again, this morning, as I traveled north on Interstate 5 between Avery Parkway and El Toro Road, which I drive daily, I observed numerous cars crossing the yellow double lines to either enter, exit or even pass other cars in the carpool lane. This is not only illegal but very dangerous and scary! What can be done to stop drivers from this practice?

I would like to suggest that Caltrans use the electronic message boards, when not in use reporting traffic problems, to say, “Signal before changing lanes.” I believe this would be a helpful reminder for drivers who fail to signal a lane change and also make excellent use of the message boards.

Joanne Thiede

Dana Point

“If we see them cross over, they will receive a citation, it’s as simple as that,” says Steve Kohler, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol. The only time you can legally go in or out of the carpool lane, he said, is at points indicated by broken lines on the pavement.

Duran-Rojas of Caltrans, however, is not enthusiastic about your idea of using electronic message boards as warning signs.

“Message boards have traditionally been used to alert people to a traffic problem occurring downstream from where they are to give them a chance to avoid it,” she said. “We really want to limit anything that would take people’s attention away from driving.”

Street Smart appears Mondays in The Times Orange County Edition. Readers are invited to submit comments and questions about traffic, commuting and what makes it difficult to get around in Orange County. Include simple sketches if helpful. Letters may be published in upcoming columns. Please write to David Haldane, c/o Street Smart, The Times Orange County Edition, P.O. Box 2008, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, send faxes to (714) 966-7711 or e-mail him at David.Haldane@latimes.com. Include your full name, address, and day and evening phone numbers. Letters may be edited, and no anonymous letters will be accepted.