A Press Democrat Blog

Road Warrior

Trying to make sense out of getting around

Latest update on Highway 101, lane closures

Sunday, at 9:30 by

For Highway 101 drivers, relief is almost here. Caltrans is continuing to do finishing work on the highway between Santa Rosa Avenue and Rohnert Park Expressway, and Caltrans spokesman Adam Priest says the third lane is expected to be open by the end of this month or early September. But he adds a caveat: “With that, these projects require scheduling of stripers, etc., during a very busy time for construction.” So it could be later. Once opened, the third lane… Read More »

More drivers trying to beat the red light

Monday, at 7:29 by

I’ve heard people joke that a green light means go, a yellow light means go faster and a red light means stop. But I don’t think it’s a joke any longer: More people seem to be trying to beat red lights and they’re stepping on the gas when the light turns yellow. Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Rich Celli says he hasn’t seen that as a general trend, although he does at times have officers stake out specific intersections where it’s… Read More »

Main Cotati street to be closed

Friday, at 10:24 by

SMART rail work will close East Cotati Avenue in Cotati on Friday through Sunday at the train tracks. It’s part of the rail district upgrading the tracks through Sonoma County. Crews are going through the county tearing out the old crossings and putting in new track. To detour around the closure, take Southwest Boulevard to the north or East Railroad Avenue to the south. —————- Follow the Road Warrior on Twitter via @PDRoadWarrior

Traffic delays this week on Highways 29, 101, 128

Sunday, at 6:04 by

Caltrans plans road work this week on Highways 29, 101 and 128, and drivers can expect some traffic delays. –Highway 29, from Highway 128 in Calistoga to two-tenths of a mile north of Silverado Trail, for grinding out bad sections of road and replacing with fresh pavement. Work hours will be 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday until 6 a.m. the next morning. One-way traffic controls will be in effect. Then Caltrans will do more work 7 p.m. July 30 to… Read More »

Answers to your Caltrans questions

Wednesday, at 5:00 by

Here are answers to some of the questions readers posed last week for Caltrans: –When will the section of freeway in Cotati change from a 55-MPH zone to a regular 65 zone? Anthony Caltrans officials said once crews finish putting the final paving and striping on Highway 101 there, they’ll boost the speed limit to 65. –Why are you stuffing everybody into two lanes at 3pm creating a traffic slowdown when in Marin it’s 4:30 and things run pretty good?… Read More »

Here’s a chance to ask Caltrans a question

Wednesday, at 9:58 by

Caltrans this week is holding a briefing for the media about the Highway 101 widening in Rohnert Park and Cotati and the East Washington Street interchange project in Petaluma. The Road Warrior will be there, so if you have questions about those projects, send them to me by leaving a comment below. I’ll try to get as many as possible answered.    

Do you leave big or small gaps at stoplights?

Tuesday, at 4:36 by

At stoplights or stop signs, you see some drivers leaving huge gaps between them and the car in front. Others are almost sitting on the car’s  bumper. What’s going on? It’s not an issue addressed in the state Vehicle Code, Petaluma Police Sgt. Ken Savano notes. Some drivers like to creep up close to the car in front so as to provide as much room as possible for cars behind them, he says. Others leave plenty of room to be… Read More »

Mailbag: Is Old Red going to be repaved? More on Petaluma sound walls

Friday, at 8:00 by

Here’s a question from a reader: What is the schedule for repaving of Old Redwood Highway between Petaluma and Cotati? This is a heavily traveled road and has not been improved for a century. It’s not a coincidence it is called “Old.” What is the county supervisors’  solution to the poor repaving done a couple of years ago on Occidental, West Sierra, and Crane Canyon roads? The county used a repaving technique (chip seal) that rendered these roads worse than… Read More »

Anti-DUI task force gets $300,000

Thursday, at 5:18 by

Sonoma County’s anti-DUI campaign will continue after the state awarded a $300,000 grant for the Avoid the 13 task force. The task force, which includes all police agencies in the county and is coordinated by Petaluma police, had a three-year grant of $659,000 that ended Sept. 30. The money pays for various anti-DUI operations, such as checkpoints and saturation patrols, and covers the overtime of officers participating in the operations. Petaluma Sgt. Ken Savano, who is in his fourth year… Read More »

Cotati’s musical Hwy. 101 walls, overpass

Thursday, at 5:49 by

Cotati, home to Sonoma County’s annual accordion festival, has something else to sing about: The new Highway 101 retaining walls and overpass. They’re decorated with music notes, although whether the notes actually make music is unknown. The idea for the design originated with Cotati City Manager Dianne Thompson. She said Caltrans came to the city with three general options for jazzing up the walls and overpass but none of them seem to fit Cotati. “I did some sketching, gave it… Read More »