Southbound 87 to be repaved during closure this weekend: Roadshow

And, a bicyclist shares one gripe that could be easily fixed

Q: The repaved northbound Highway 87 is fantastic, but will Caltrans repair the on-ramps? The Capitol Expressway on-ramp is a shambles. It has cracked, uneven pavement, potholes waiting for axles to break, and so on. The stop line for the metering light hasn’t been visible since I’ve lived in that area for well over 20 years, which is an annoyance but not the worst problem.

Mr. Tom Kelly

A: That’s great to hear about the northbound repaving. This weekend, southbound 87 between exits 85 and 280 will be repaved. The full closure of southbound lanes in this area will begin at 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 20, and will end at 5 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 23.

The northbound ramps and auxiliary lanes have been repaved and should have been finished by Friday.

Following the repaving of the southbound lanes, the southbound ramps and auxiliary lanes will be repaved.The project entails replacing the median concrete barrier as well as upgrading and replacing drainage systems and electrical components.

Visit CalTrans’ project webpage for more information.

Q: As someone who rides his bike around town for errands, I am frequently irritated by obstacles such as trash bins, piles of garden waste, cars, delivery vans, and workers’ trucks parked in bike lanes. Road signs, such as “Road work ahead,” are one of the easiest to fix. Work crews place their sign in the middle of the bike lane with little regard for the danger they pose to bicyclists forced into vehicle lanes to avoid the sign.

Why can’t the city direct its contractors to place such signs with courtesy and consideration?

Delson, Martin

A: I’ll forward your feedback to the city.

Q: In your Sunday column, you mentioned Mrs. Roadshow’s dissatisfaction with a road diet. Early in August, you mentioned “traffic calming measures.” I’m with the wife: Reducing lanes and cramming the same number of cars into a smaller space, re-striping roads so that once-straight roads are now twisty, extending corners so cars line up and slow down waiting for right turns…? Are these soothing? Just thinking about them makes me angry.

There used to be two nice straight roads on Story Road and White Road. They now resemble a chicane on a Formula One race track. When they first started doing this, I was riding with my dad, and he said that if someone were watching us from above in a helicopter, they’d think we were driving drunk because of the way we’re forced to veer left, then right, then left again. All of this is supposed to make us feel better?

San Jose’s David Knoblich

Mrs. Roadshow didn’t know what the term “chicane” meant, so she looked it up on YouTube and watched it.