"The road is just awful!"
The title paraphrases a comment Julie Timmons made about Highway 101 in her most recent blog post. She also wrote it seems to get worse year after year.
That was not the first time I've heard this sort of thing. I can't count the number of times I've heard complaints about roads in the state- both local and statewide. I just don't get it. I've driven 101 from San Francisco more times than I care to remember and the road has seemed in pretty good repair for the most part. An easy drive (at least until you get past Cloverdale) except for the burnout from driving so long.
Anyone else have any particular beefs about 101 south to San Francisco? Not picking on Julie. I've just heard this enough times to make me wonder if I've been missing something.
posted by Fred Mangels @ 3:17 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
I love the drive - it's SO much better than it used to be, faster, too!
The bottleneck at Santa Rosa has improved, but is still something to be avoided if possible.
The best is to cut over to Williams, go by Clear Lake to Sacramento, what a fun drive!
Coming from the east coast and used to driving on broken concrete roads and hyways there - winter there takes a toll on all roads - driving 101 is indeed a real pleasure.
Caltrans maintenance crews do an excellent job on a road that has had it's share of mud slides, downed trees and numerous accidents.
That latter problem -accidents - is the most baffling, I think. But I don't believe the road is responsible for most of them. Drivers are.
Just think of a job that is guaranteed to provide work because its doesn't do its job very well at all and constantly needs repairing. Think of enough oil to cover the State of California poured onto our highways and roads by now or in the not to distant future* Think of Iraq, Iran, Oil Wars, and wonder why nobody called me to organize the Solar Rail system that demolishes dependence on oil, highways that buckle and warp constantly because the ground's unstable. Lift the roadbed high above the ground on a state monorail system where the monorail itself is one giant solar collector collecting and storing energy to run the trains and free the ground underneath, acres and acres of highway roadbeds freed for replanting, ribbon cities, parks, and community gardens. No traffic but local electrics. No big traffic noise. This was doable when I first had the vision in 1976. Where are we folks? Gas stations rule our world..
*Rated Thematic Elements Approved for dramatization purposes.
°Road ragers, tailgaters, distracted drivers, hand held cell phones, speeders, a moment of inattention and one could end up at the bottom of a lagoon dead for a year.
°Left turn lane headed north at Big Lagoon is also the fast lane. Beware vehicles at dead stop in the fast lane.
°There is a strawberry field stand where vehicles can be at a dead stop waiting for a safe left turn blocking HW101 North in the Southern stretch.
°For tourism, the train from Willits to Eureka would fill the town with tourists shopping, dining, staying in hotels overnight.
°We never seem to get it together when it comes to cruise ships.
°Currently, I find it very hard to get through the redwood curtain. A nice stop either way I find is the Peg House. The Peg House features Humboldt grass-fed beef burgers, fresh Arcata Bay oysters, tri-tip sandwiches, and fresh wild blackberry sundaes. The store has everything from groceries and books to camping gear—beware the bathrooms. The outdoor stage area is a garden oasis. Their sandwiches, sides and brownies are top of the line.
69501 Hwy 101 N.
Leggett, California 95585
°The Willits bypass and Richardson Grove projects are typical of our let’s keep the redwood curtain intact mindset dividing our community.
Yes, the 101 from pretty much the GG bridge up through Petaluma is terrible. But, they are finally fixing this last stretch... 10 years of construction - it makes you wonder how we ever won WWII. As far as the rest of the 101, Julie needs to get out more. The 101 is very well maintained considering all the forces going against having a decent roadway. The 101 is actually overbuilt in much of Humboldt County. They are fixing some of the trouble spots in Mendocino, like Willits. Have you ever driven in Oregon? Talk about a cluster fuck when you get off the interstate system.
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