A Press Democrat Blog

Road Warrior

Trying to make sense out of getting around

Updated: Construction hot spots in Sonoma County

Monday, at 11:22 by

Updated to include details about the sewer replacement work at Montgomery Drive and Farmers Lane in Santa Rosa.  Life slows down in Sonoma County after the weekend excitement of the bicycle race and Rose Parade in Santa Rosa, and American Graffiti cruise in Petaluma. Similarly, road projects continue with little change, a lull before the June 3 start of another Highway 101 improvement project north of Santa Rosa. Santa Rosa police identify their targeted intersection of the week, and Rob… Read More »

U.S. 101 questions and a suggestion

Tuesday, at 12:22 by

Two little questions about things spotted along U.S. 101, and a suggestion about how to ease the pain as construction projects collide in Petaluma. What’s up with the sign? The question: What is with the electronic sign in Rohnert Park on NB 101 that states to turn Radio to 840 AM? It was on for a week, no message is on 840 AM. The answer: Caltrans’ electricians were testing the sign.  In the future Caltrans will use the Highway Advisory Radio for construction… Read More »

Updated: Construction heats up in Petaluma, and other cone zones

Sunday, at 6:23 by

Updated May 6 with road projects throughout Sonoma County. Watch for road closures and detours in Petaluma as work heats up on the Highway 101 widening project. Here’s the latest information about it and other road construction projects throughout the North Coast during the week of May 5-10. Petaluma State Route 116 will be closed Tuesday through Friday while portions of the southbound U.S. 101 bridge are demolished. Hours are 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday nights and… Read More »

This week’s cone zones

Monday, at 6:50 by

Petaluma continues to dominate the Sonoma County road construction activity, with SMART and Caltrans work in addition to ongoing city projects. In Santa Rosa, work begins to replace antiquated sewer and water lines around Montgomery Village, a project that will continue through November. A complete list of Caltrans projects throughout the North Coast follows. Petaluma SMART crews will start replacing the railroad crossing at D Street at 6 a.m. Monday, April 29. The work is expected to be finished by… Read More »

Petaluma roadwork starts tonight at 101/E. Washington

Tuesday, at 11:38 by

Caltrans begins late night roadwork on northbound Highway 101 at the East Washington Street exit tonight, with crews working 11 p.m.-6 a.m. March 26-28 to install a cross-freeway drainage culvert. One lane of northbound traffic will be closed, as well as the northbound off-ramp to East Washington Street, which will be closed 11 p.m.-5 a.m. The work is weather dependent and will be shifted to Friday, March 29 if it is weather delayed, according to Caltrans.

Another way to fix crosswalks?

Wednesday, at 7:51 by

Just before 9 a.m. Sunday, a 97-year-old visually impaired woman was struck while trying to cross East Washington Street at Elly Boulevard South in Petaluma. Petaluma Police officers found her in the crosswalk with moderate injuries, along with a 62-year-old driver who told them she hadn’t seen the pedestrian until the collision occurred. Officers said the sun may have contributed to the driver’s lack of vision but, in a press release, Sgt. Ken Savano also pointed to the “protected and… Read More »

Mailbag: Dirt, concrete pile along 101; free air/water at gas stations; 116 hazard

Friday, at 12:57 by

Questions from our readers: What’s up with the dirt/concrete pile along 101? What is all the construction going on east of Highway 101 just south of Petaluma?  It’s been a curiosity for a couple of weeks now, and has gotten to the point where it’s now causing traffic delays in the morning.  The work isn’t technically on the freeway.  It’s just east of it, a hundred yards or so off the side of the road.  They’ve put a long orange… Read More »

Traffic delays on main Petaluma street

Tuesday, at 10:20 by

Paving crews are at work Tuesday and Wednesday on East Washington Street in Petaluma, and police are warning of traffic delays. The work is in on westbound East Washington from about Highway 101 to Edith Street in the right lane. The paving, once completed, will be a relief to Petaluma drivers who for months have had to deal with the jarring bumps left by a water main replacement project along East Washington. —————- Follow the Road Warrior on Twitter via… Read More »

Disabled parking: It’s expensive if you’re not

Wednesday, at 2:14 by

You’re just going to run into the store for a couple of minutes, but there’s no parking nearby, except for the spot reserved for the disabled. Ahh, you figure, it’ll only be a couple of minutes – what could it hurt? It could hurt your wallet, not to mention keeping someone disabled from using the spot they need and deserve. Last year in Santa Rosa, city parking officers and police officers issued a total of 750 tickets for parking in… Read More »

Mailbag: Where are the sidewalks? Can police ignore traffic laws?

Thursday, at 5:45 by

Here are questions from Road Warrior readers: What happened to the sidewalks? Construction just finished on Shiloh Road west of Highway 101 in Windsor. They seem to have left pedestrians out during this recent construction. All existing sidewalks were in the north side of Shiloh Road this includes both the area in front of the Wyndham Resort and the highway overpass.  The south side of the road has very narrow shoulders with (in some cases) not even a bike lane.… Read More »