Guest opinion

I would like to share my thoughts on the Kanan Road interchange. The work thus far has improved the ramps in the area, allowed safer access to the onramps and begun to beautify the area. Questions, however, still remain.

+Why are there not two lanes that go onto the northbound 101 ramp?

Although the city did look at adding a second lane onto the northbound 101 during the design phase, it was not approved due to the fact that there is a pedestrian crossing at this ramp entrance. If there were two lanes entering onto the freeway, a "blind spot" would be created for the second lane of traffic, as they would not be able to see pedestrians crossing. The ultimate liability responsibility would have been Caltrans' were they to approve this.

+Why are there not two lanes that go into the southbound 101 loop ramp?

This situation is different because there is a signal at this entrance that can stop traffic when a pedestrian activates the crossing button, and they have a controlled crossing where the northbound onramp cannot make cars stop directly at the entrance via a signal. The southbound onramp configuration is more of an issue of limited space. Due to the fact that there is an existing gas station and shopping center adjacent to the southbound offramp, there is no additional room that would allow for these two ramps to be pushed farther south.

Without closing down local businesses, the city designed the interchange with the available land and in a manner that met Caltrans standards. There will be a green arrow energized as well for vehicles entering this onramp, which will help alleviate the backup that occurs in the temporary configuration now.

+When traveling southbound on Kanan Road, why does the far right lane now only turn right onto Canwood Street?

The far right lane has a limited capacity for waiting vehicles, and if it is utilized as a throughlane to the north 101 as it was in the past, vehicles will swerve diagonally across one lane to the next, which causes a greater backup of vehicles.

+Why is traffic entering the new southbound loop onramp forced to stop at a red light? Shouldn't this traffic have a green arrow to turn?

There is a green arrow that is in the original design plans for vehicles entering onto the southbound loop ramp. The project is still in a construction phase, and this is one of the items that are left to complete. Once the new pedestrian crossing signal connecting the east and west sides of Kanan Road is installed, the green arrow signal will be activated and synchronized with the other traffic signals in the area.

+I almost got "T-boned" by a vehicle crossing over a double yellow line to turn onto the freeway instead of going onto the new ramps. What will you do?

The individuals making the left turn across these double yellow lines are blatantly breaking the traffic laws. Unfortunately, you can't design projects around individuals who fail to follow the law. We will continue to work with law enforcement to enforce the traffic laws and remind violators that there are consequences for this type of behavior. In addition, we are adding "channelizers" that will be erected in the striped medians to discourage this type of behavior. We are responding to the requests of our residents to further discourage individuals from putting others in harm's way.

+It looks like the interchange is done, yet I seem to be waiting longer to get to the freeway. Why is this?

Although the project may appear finished, there are construction items that still need to be completed. One of these items is the retiming of the traffic signals on Kanan Road at the entrance to the freeway onramps. Caltrans has recently energized the new signal "loops" which allows the timing of the traffic signals to be synchronized and adjusted based on the amount of vehicular traffic during certain time periods of the day.

+What type of signage is going to be in place to help direct motorists into the correct lanes?

There will be a sign to the right of Kanan southbound traffic to indicate how each lane is designed to flow. Additional lane markings that appear in the road are in place to indicate the correct lanes as well. The design engineer and Caltrans are working together to look for additional signage that goes above and beyond current construction requirements to help travelers who may be new to the area.

+So when will the project be complete?

The project is in its final phase of construction, and the major items affecting traffic flow as well as those items not affecting traffic will be in place by June. Caltrans will do their final inspection of the project and create a "punch list" of any items that need to be adjusted, fixed or changed.

The city expresses its gratitude for your patience throughout this entire project and apologizes for any inconveniences that anyone may have incurred. It is our hope that judgment can be passed after the project is complete and regular commuters have had the chance to see firsthand the improvements that were made.