Roadshow: Work on highways 101 and 9 has drivers puzzled

Q Please tell me that the new lane striping on Highway 101 between Highway 85 and the Embarcadero/Oregon exit is temporary. The width of the left shoulder is large and the right shoulder is narrow and includes concrete slabs every couple of hundred feet that stick up about an inch and a half. ... Please, please, please tell me that crews made an error striping the lanes between San Antonio and Oregon onto 101. There is no on and off lane between these interchanges and the left side is two lanes wide!

Bob Greene, Chinchu Sup and James Richardson

A Relax, this is not permanent. Caltrans installed temporary markers after a paving job. The final striping will have an auxiliary lane between interchanges and should be in place by Aug. 1.

Motorcyclists eastbound on Highway 9 toward Saratoga. (Mercury News) ( Jim Gensheimer )

Q What the heck is going on with Highway 9 between Saratoga and Skyline Boulevard? We're down to one lane in a couple of places.

Karen Armstrong

A There is a lot of work planned for Highway 9, from the mountains above Saratoga into Los Gatos. Caltrans is upgrading the road to improve sight distance, adding a metal guardrail and warning signs, and widening shoulders and existing lanes to 12 feet.

The first area of work has about 1,000 feet of K-rail, with one-way traffic control south of Skyline. Bicyclists can slide in behind vehicles and ride through the single lane or they can hit the manual button that will allow them to pass through safely and before the light changes on the other side. The second location will have K-rail installed toward the end of this month to Saratoga and the winery. Work will take two years.

Now into Los Gatos.

Q Starting this week, Los Gatos will have a project on Highway 9 at University Avenue in full swing. This will lead to delays. It includes new traffic signal installation, paving, replacing the sidewalk and curb and gutter, and installation of new ramps.

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Roadshow: Work on highways 101 and 9 has drivers puzzled