Viewer calls Kurtis after spotting confusing freeway signs during morning commute
SACRAMENTO — When a south Sacramento woman noticed some confusing freeway signs and several close calls, she reached out to California's Department of Transportation about the issue. But after weeks of not hearing anything back, she called Kurtis to investigate.
"I use that freeway almost every," said Aparna Malhotra. "I have personally seen the last-minute panic where I've seen the drivers ahead of me trying to change lanes."
She's talking about a stretch of the northbound Interstate 5, right before the 50 split. And Aparna sent photos showing the two signs she was talking about.
The first tells drivers that the four left lanes head towards Redding. There's also a second, saying the same thing, right before the split. But there were only three lanes at the time.
"I'm very scared that one of these days it's going to cause a major accident," she told CBS13.
Aparna says she notified CalTrans back in May when she filled out a service request online. But after a month, there was no change. That's when she called Kurtis.
After CBS13 got involved CalTrans covered up the number four on both signs. A spokesman for the department says he thinks the signs went up prematurely for an upcoming carpool lane.
"Sometimes there is some human error done, and we'll make amends for it," said Dennis Keaton. "If, for whatever reason, there is a safety issue that is of immediate concern, it's going to be taken care of."
That's why it took so long for the signs to change – Keaton says that the department prioritizes needs, but if someone sees an immediate safety concern on the freeway, they should all 911. That way the California Highway Patrol will evaluate the danger and help people navigate around it.
CBS13 pilled data and didn't find any serious crashes in that stretch of highway. And since looking into this, the fourth lane has opened, lessening Aparna's stress as she drives to work.
"This is about public safety to me," she said.