Crash-prone Highway 101 and Rock Road intersection gets permanent fix Friday
Briana Mathaw
SAN BENITO COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) –Big changes are coming to a well-known trouble spot on Highway 101 in San Benito County. Following dozens of crashes near Rocks Road, some of them deadly. Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol are taking permanent action.
“Over the past five years, the intersection near Rocks and Cannon Roads has seen more than 50 crashes, many of them serious. About 25 to 30 percent of those collisions resulted in injuries, and at least two were fatal,” Captain Noel Coady said.
To reduce the danger, Caltrans is permanently shutting down the median crossover at Rocks and Cannon Roads.
This means drivers will no longer be able to make left turns onto Highway 101 from either road. The move is meant to improve safety in an area that sees high traffic volumes, particularly from trucks transporting goods.
“Given the heavier volumes, given that it’s really a vital truck corridor for both agriculture and freight, we want to make sure that everybody going in the north and southbound direction of 101 through Rocks Road, Cannon Road area aren’t surprised by vehicles crossing in front of them,” Kevin Drabinski said.
The closure also has long term infrastructure benefits. Guardrails in the area are often damaged during collisions, leading to frequent and costly maintenance.
“We also have the added benefit of safeguarding the infrastructure. Because of collisions in the area, we have guardrail damage from time to time. So it takes away that maintenance and it adds to the security once the integrity of the guardrail can be safeguarded,” Kevin Drabinski said.
The closure is scheduled to begin Friday night at 9 p.m. During that time, crews will reduce Highway 101 to a single lane in each direction overnight while they close the entrances from Rocks and Cannon Roads.
“That will be the traffic impact, where traffic through that area will be reduced to a single lane while crews close the entrances from Rocks Road and Cannon Road. But that will be a permanent closure,” Kevin Drabinski said.
Drivers who normally use the intersection will need to take a short detour.
“People that come on the, as it were, the eastbound side from Rocks Road who want to go southbound will just jump up northbound 101 to the 156 interchange and turn around. And those coming from Cannon Road who want to go north will head south down to the San Juan Grade interchange,” Kevin Drabinski said.
Emergency vehicles, however, will still have access to the closed median.
“First responders will be able to use that median in order to be able to respond in a timely way to their calls. But it will be closed for the traveling public and reserved for those emergency vehicles,” Kevin Drabinski said.
Drivers in the area should prepare for the overnight work, which is expected to last until 7 or 8 a.m. Saturday morning.