Willow Glen Resident
Letters & Opinions
Who's responsible for the freeway designs?
By Moryt Milo
If the interchange had been better thought out, maybe Mary Bernstein and Robert Conway would have had a chance. The two 20-year-olds were struck by an airborne Ford pickup that hit an embankment as the driver exited from northbound 280 onto the 10th /11th Street exits. The couple was waiting at a red light, with cars in front of them. They had no chance of getting out of the way. It may have been a freak accident, but anyone who has ever had to get off at the 10th/11th Street exits knows this area is a nightmare.
In my book, it rates as one of the worst exits and entrances on both sides of the interstate, with drivers trying to exit while others are simultaneously merging in and over so they are not trapped in the exit-only lanes. I hated it when I took my daughter to visit her friend who lived on 16th Street; now that unnerving maneuver riles my daughter every time she drives to visit one of her best friends on 14th Street. Just knowing she is driving through this area has never been comforting. So the fatal accident on July 10 sent a shiver through me. It could have been anyone's child in that car, even more so because this is one of the primary exits for San Jose State.
It leads me to question what planet these engineers where on when they designed this section of I-280. Anyone driving on the roads today has to wonder if there were any visionaries among the lot who might have foreseen the congestion that plagues our South Bay road system.
If this was the only poorly constructed exit or entrance, I could cut the road designers some slack, but it is just one of many in the South Bay that leave drivers saying a quick prayer as they get off or on the highways that make up our daily commutes.
There are several hellish designs that are not for the faint of heart. The only word that comes to mind as I navigate through these roads is stupidity. For example, what engineer came up with the exits and entrances on north and southbound Highway 17 for the East Los Gatos exit? There is never enough time to merge whether you are getting off or getting on. If your car sports a four-cylinder, it's time to pray, because it's tough enough gunning it with a six or V-8.
Then there were the geniuses who designed the exit off 280 North at Foothill Expressway. Cars are merging in the same lane you have to get into to exit. I know this interchange intimately because all my kids' doctors are up that way. It is nothing short of a demolition derby moment.
At the 880 North to 280 Valley Fair exit, drivers never bother to look who is merging or exiting. The same problem exists getting on to 280 North from Highway 17, which has drivers immediately coming in from Winchester Boulevard. I can't tell you how many times these drivers just merge into my freeway lane without regard for the fact that I am already there. Unless we are in the Twilight Zone, I have yet to see two cars successfully occupy the same space at the same time. It's another cross-yourself moment. As is Highway 17 North to Highway 85, a large looping curb with a merge coming in. I know I missed a few, and rude drivers only exacerbate the problem, but you get the point.
We are all slaves to these poor roadway designs, and I have not a clue how any of it can be resolved. But one thing I know for certain: No police officer should have to tell a parent, as was the case in the death of Mary Bernstein and Robert Conway, that one individual was cradling another in an attempt to shield them from an impact that ultimately took their lives. I can only hope the freeway designers keep this image in mind the next time they come up with a plan.
Moryt Milo is the editor of the Willow Glen Resident. She can be reached at 408.200.1051 or via email at mmilo@community-newspapers.com.
