Congestion Relief Coming To Notorious San Jose Interchange
SAN JOSE (KCBS) - One of the most gridlocked corridors on Highway 101 in San Jose is on the road to traffic relief. Following the beginning of demolition in January, a groundbreaking ceremony was scheduled for Friday at the Tully Road interchange.
KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:
The off-ramp, which was constructed in the 1950s, is simply unable to handle the present day volume of traffic, which means huge backups often result in the area.
"This has been a nightmare for a very long time," declared San Jose councilwoman Rose Herrera, whose district includes the problematic interchange. "For commuters going up and down 101 it's been a nightmare and you know, finally we've got a solution to this. I think it's a great story when you've got public money really being put to good use here."
Herrera predicted an entirely different driving experience when the 16-month project is completed.
"You're going to have many, many more lanes. I know people are frustrated right now," she acknowledged.
Herrera described the interchange as the number one complaint among her constituents.
"I drive it every day, with a lot of other folks that live in Evergreen. It's one of two ways in and out of Evergreen so you have to wait to get on the freeway, you have to wait to get off. It's congested, you sit in backups for a very long time, it sometimes doesn't even feel safe so it's very welcome that this project is underway."
The design of the new interchange included a partial "cloverleaf," which Caltrans said would further help to reduce congestion.
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