Q: I work in Livermore so I travel Interstate 680 often. I just want to thank the night crews for the work being done and completed each morning before the commute starts over the Sunol Grade on the new northbound express lane. Seems like more asphalt gets laid every day.
I’ve worked the night shift before and know it can strain families with members that do not have a normal work schedule, so thanks to you all.
Norman Roush, Sunnyvale
A: The news gets better. This week the California Transportation Commission will approve $142.1 million to rehab I-680 from the Koopman Road Undercrossing in Sunol to the Alcosta Boulevard Overcrossing in Dublin. Construction could begin at the end of this year.
Q: Why are semis allowed on the two-lane stretch of Highway 84 from northbound 680 all the way to Vallecitos Road in Livermore? Clearly, this stretch is not meant for big rigs as there are no shoulders if one becomes disabled and blocking one lane. Are there any plans to have restrictions for big rigs on that route like they do on Highway 85?
Cesar Gabriel Jr., San Jose
A: No. Bob-a-Traffic-Man says you are mistaken if you think Route 84 between I-680 and Vallecitos wasn’t planned for big rigs:
“The reader seems to imply that big rigs do not belong on two-lane roads, which would seriously hamper commerce if ever adopted. I am not aware of any plans to ban big rigs on this section of Route 84, but rather the road will be widened to four lanes to I-680 and the I-680/84 interchange will be upgraded.”
Q: Highway 24 has black and white signs saying “No thru traffic from 3 to 7 pm” at the Pleasant Hill Road exit. Yet every day hundreds of drivers use this exit to jump back on Highway 24. I have never seen the sign enforced. Does CHP ever enforce freeway jumping? I commute from Oakland to Walnut Creek daily and pretty much get pushed to the side of the road each evening.
Gayle McSparin, Walnut Creek
A: They sometimes do, but the CHP can’t be everywhere on this terrible road. That’s why Caltrans installed the signs a few years ago.
Q: When a person decides to not drive anymore and the license expires why not make it law that the expired license can still serve as a valid I.D.? It is still the same person, the photo is there, and then a person who has physical difficulty still has a legal I.D. for other purposes, negating a visit to the DMV.
Rich Masterson, Albany
A: The state will not allow this, fearing identity thefts.
Join Gary Richards for an hourlong chat noon Wednesday at www.mercurynews.com/live-chats. Look for Gary Richards at Facebook.com/mr.roadshow or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com.
