Construction Zones Lack Construction

Dear Traffic Talk:

It seems I can’t drive five miles on an L.A. freeway without seeing an ominous sign telling me that traffic fines are doubled in construction zones. This is followed with the familiar orange sign saying “road construction ahead.”

Am I being cynical in believing that these doubled fines in “construction” areas are really just another way to raise government revenue?

Kent Clark

La Crescenta

Dear Kent:

Freeway construction signs tend to go up before a project starts and then remain even if work becomes delayed due to poor weather or is temporarily suspended, said Caltrans spokesman Joe Brazile. It would be impractical to remove the signs whenever there was a construction stoppage, he said.

If a driver receives a doubled fine in a zone where he believes there was not any ongoing construction, he may complain by writing to the Claims Office at Caltrans, 120 S. Spring St., Los Angeles 90012. If Caltrans officials determine there wasn’t work going on when the driver received the doubled fine, they will provide the driver with written evidence he can use in his defense in traffic court.

Fines are doubled in work zones to encourage drivers to slow down to protect workers’ safety, Brazile said.

Dear Traffic Talk:

There are many ranges of the freeways where the shoulders have been blockaded from traffic. An example is at the transition from the eastbound Hollywood Freeway to the southbound San Diego Freeway.

I feel unsafe when a huge truck passes on my left as I travel alongside those barricades. Can you tell me why they have have been installed?

Robert M. Hayes

Sherman Oaks

Dear Robert:

Concrete barriers have been placed along the shoulder and median at the transition from the eastbound 101 to southbound 405 because workers are building a new carpool lane and additional lanes, said Brazile at Caltrans. This work should be completed by early summer, he added.

The barriers are installed to protect workers and motorists during construction, Brazile said.

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Traffic Talk appears Fridays in The Times Valley Edition. Readers may submit comments and questions about traffic in the Valley to Traffic Talk, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited, and no anonymous letters will be accepted. Fax letters to (818) 772-3385. E-mail questions to valley.news@latimes.com.