Got traffic gripes? Attend a meetingGot traffic gripes? Attend a meetingFebruary 14, 2003
People tend to forget sometimes how traffic affects their own neighborhood, especially when you don't head out first thing in the morning and see it first hand. When there are traffic accidents and road work we tend to see the whole problem in a new light.
Phones throughout the city of Oakley were ringing off the hook on Tuesday morning as commuters began their trek out of town to their jobs. My first call came at 8 a.m. when a friend called from her car phone to tell me that she was "stuck in gridlock right here on our little highway."
At the time the only thing that people knew was that a truck had overturned and the Oakley police had put up an electronic sign stating that the Hazmat crew was out taking a look at the substance that had spilled. The substance turned out to be molten sulfur and the team had to wait until it hardened before it could be cleaned up.
By 9 a.m. the police were informing people that the road wouldn't be open until at least noon. By noon, rumors were putting the cleanup at nearly four to five more hours. By 1 p.m. the rumors were that the road would not be open until Wednesday. What eventually happened was that the road was partially opened at 4 p.m. so that traffic could go through while workers continued to clear the mess. It was completely reopened by 10 p.m.
While the accident happened just east of Big Break Road, Main Street was closed from Empire Avenue to Live Oak Avenue for a good part of the day. In the morning, I heard that theMain was closed up until Neroly Road. This detoured the traffic to Oakley Road, with some people turning at Live Oak and others at Neroly Road.
About 10 a.m. I decided it was time to venture out to make a delivery to Antioch. Because Big Break Road was closed at Vintage Parkway, I had to exit my subdivision on the Main Street side and follow to the detour. My usual trip to Antioch takes about 10 minutes; on Tuesday it took 45 minutes.
As I waited my turn for the stop sign at Live Oak and Oakley roads and then again at Neroly and Oakley roads, I watched the cars in front and behind, and saw that most of the traffic was trucks and delivery vans. That is really no surprise, since most of us realize that the traffic that runs through Oakley is mostly due to people who don't live in town, but who are using the road as a way to get to the Bay Area and beyond.
There is a lot of talk that this type of traffic will stop coming through Oakley once the new Highway 4 bypass is opened up. The project seems to be on schedule. The road will be opened just before Highway 4 meets Oakley outside of Antioch and then connect to the existing segment of the bypass at Lone Tree Way that heads out to Byron and Vasco Road.
Some local business owners have expressed concerns about the new bypass because it will lessen traffic for those who want to collect customers from out of the area. That fear may have some merit because there are many people who travel from Brentwood and Discovery Bay to use Main Street as a way to get to work or the local malls.
Traffic and transportation is a very big concern in our area. In the coming year the area's population will grow even more and the highways need to keep up with the growth. Tomorrow morning, Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher will be hosting an town hall meeting to discuss the transportation in East County. The meeting will take place from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the meeting room at Antioch's Prewett Park. It is open to all East County residents.
This meeting will be a perfect time for Oakley residents to voice their concerns. Prewett Park is located at 4701 Lone Tree Way. For more information, call 757-7187.
Roni Gehlke's column on life in Oakley appears each week in the Brentwood News.
Distributed by the Contra Costa Times