Tag Archives: Caltrans
New Bay Bridge span: 2 minutes, 3 years of building
After 11 years of construction, and 23 years after the Loma Prieta earthquake took part of it out, the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge is nearly done. Caltrans plans to open the bridge to traffic this September. While we wait for the opening, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission has released a fascinating 2-minute timelapse video of construction since 2009, put together from EarthCam‘s webcam footage. It makes it look so easy.
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Major paving work to begin mid-June on Ashby Avenue
For any and all Berkeleyans who live close to Ashby Avenue, it may be time to get stocked up on earplugs. Starting soon — mid-June is the official date — Caltrans will begin resurfacing Ashby (otherwise known as State Route 13), from Hiller Drive west to San Pablo Avenue.
As requested by the city, all construction work, which includes grinding and resurfacing, will take place on weekdays only during the daytime hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Night-time work will be limited to digout repairs at the intersections of Ashby and Telegraph, and Ashby and Shattuck, according to a statement released by Caltrans. All final striping for the project will be done during daytime and nighttime hours.
The work is expected to be completed by early fall 2012.
The first stage of the work will be on the Tunnel Road section, with the intention of completing all construction there as quickly as possible to accommodate emergency responders as we head into the fire season. … Continue reading »
Malcolm X parents raise concerns over pedestrian safety
Perhaps it’s because this particular school is located on a state highway, or perhaps it’s because one of its six-year-old students was run over on a crosswalk next to the school three years ago. Most likely both factors have contributed to a strong feeling among many parents at Malcolm X Elementary School that pedestrian safety needs to be improved on Ashby Avenue (State Highway 13), in particular at the point where it intersects with Ellis Street.
Promised improvements, they say, have been a long time coming and many problems have still not been addressed. In response, the city cites the particular difficulty it faces with green-lighting work on Ashby which, because it is a highway, comes under the jurisdiction of Caltrans. “It is very challenging for us, because any work we want to do involves submitting an encroachment permit to Caltrans, and, with state budget issues, Caltrans has been very slow to respond,” says Farid Javandel, Berkeley’s transportation division manager. … Continue reading »
