Caltrans Responds to Complaints
On Friday, September 16, Alpine Community Network reached out to Caltrans regarding feedback about the large amount of traffic from their project on I8. It was communicated how the traffic from the lane closures was affecting our residents commute time and largely impacting their life. Below is the response from Caltrans. Alpine Community Network will be working with the Alpine Community Planning Group to invite a Caltrans representative to a meeting in which the community can attend and voice their concerns.
Hello Ms. May.
Thank you for taking the time to reach out to the Public Information Office about this construction project. I want to make sure you had received the press release issued and please do share with anyone you think needs it: https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-11/news/20220913-d11news-i8lanereduction
These closures, while inconvenient, are necessary to expedite the eastbound I-8 Pine Valley Pavement Project, which covers 10 miles from Viejas Creek Road to just west of Pine Valley Creek Bridge. The ongoing closures over the next three months are intended to avoid a longer construction time. In fact, our crews are working double shifts to ensure the project keeps moving on schedule. If you don’t see crews, it is most likely a shift change or a meal break.
The work being conducted should mean a lifespan of 70 years on the new pavement. We understand the inconvenience and frustration.
Caltrans’ mission is to provide a safe and reliable transportation network that serves all people. That includes maintaining the roadways and highways throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties.
Is there any reason why this can be done at night??
It will help with your complaints and be safer for our families that do the work or is the first thing u think is ..the pay will go up for the workers? C’mon people’s vech. Are over heating and now have a mech bill to boot too!! At these times families can’t hardly put food on the table……
I don’t understand why the majority of the work can’t be done at night when there is less drivers commuting along the freeway. If this project is expected to take that long then night work should have been a must. Too many people who live in these smaller communities have a long enough drive as it is. There has to be a better solution than the fancy way of saying “just bear with it. If having the project go on longer means the delays in commute decrease so be it. Some people have kids and can’t just drop them off super early at school on order to get to where they need to go. Doctor’s appointments, work, school, etc.
I appreciate the need for road repairs. However, in other parts of San Diego the freeway is not reduced to one lane. I spent 45 minutes to go three miles while absolutely no work was being done (during peak rush hours 5-6pm). There has to be a happy medium and a snarky response from Cal-trans isn’t helpful.
There is no emergency plan. My good friend lost his pick up truck in the first week to fire. The freeway was at a dead stop, fire dept could not get to him for over 30 mins finally using the median, CHP had to drive on the median to get there and AAA could not reach him to remove truck. During winter the median may not always be usable because of wet ground. What if that had been a family, with kids, with injuries, or if the truck had started a brush fire.
There is no emergency plan and desert season is coming, Oct is peak fire season.
Lessons learned over the years appear to have been ignored.
Karen
But starting the project right before winter was a good idea? I really don’t want to find out how this one lane is going to work the first good snow we get. I have to commute every single day. It’s going to be very dangerous for everyone involved. This should have been started months ago. Poor planning I say.
If there was work going on I might be ok, but this is bullsh$t. The lanes are closed with no Fing work going on. Get it done Get it over with or open the lanes.
Only once have I seen anyone working either at any time in those lane closure areas and I have driven by during various hours as well. Do you have a team of invisible workers using cloaking technology for the road equipment? Seeing no one working in the area is the most bothersome aspect of this. If it looked like progress was being made and the workers were visible then people would not be so upset. With almost no workers around it is very frustrating and seems like our tax dollars are being wasted and we are all being inconvenienced.
I drive by at 5:15am and at 3:45 pm this has been since the day this all started and you don’t ever see anyone working. I don’t think it’s because they are on lunch or shift change ? I moved out of the city to avoid all this shit (traffic) I would just suggest get the work done quicker. I already have an hour commute I don’t need to stand in traffic any longer.