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‘Seriously, I have never seen such a mess on our roads’: Roadshow Q How can the state leave a downtown stretch of Interstate 280 in San Jose dark? All lights are burned out on I-280 from at least Highway 101 to Highway 87. There are too many to count. Please tell me who is in charge and I’ll be at their office demanding they go sit on this highway every night until it’s fixed.

Brian Schulman

San Jose

A The darkness continues on I-680.

Q Over half of the lights on Interstate 680 between Highway 101 and Milpitas have been off at night for years. Sections are dangerously dark, especially when it rains.

Matthew Hutchison

San Jose

A And on the west side …

Q I missed the Saratoga Avenue off-ramp from north 280 one night because the light to illuminate the overhead sign was off. Can Caltrans install a new bulb? … Street lamps along the southbound 280-Foothill Boulevard exit have been out for quite some time.

Jill Smith, Margie Gong and others left in the dark

A Caltrans will do much more than put in new bulbs, and drivers should love the result.

Workers have begun installing hundreds of new retro-reflective signs above Bay Area freeways that throw back the light from headlights of oncoming vehicles much better than the older green reflective signs. (Many of these older signs are dark now for a variety of reasons ranging from copper thieves to burned-out bulbs to state officials not wanting to spend additional money with new signs coming.)

All highways in the South Bay will be covered — 439 new signs are planned — starting with Highway 17 from Highway 9 to I-280 and Highway 85 from 101 to Middlefield Road.

Similar signs are going in at 164 locations on Interstate 80, I-580 and I-680 in Contra Costa County. Ditto 880 in Alameda County and 101 in San Mateo County.

I’ve passed along Roadshow readers’ requests that Caltrans illuminate the dark corridors first.

The move to retro-reflective signs follows tests on Interstate 80 in Sacramento where some drivers complained the new signs were almost too bright.

This new illumination will cost $10,000 per sign on average and should be ready by summer. Crews will also do lighting work on the ramps, closing them from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., but crews will never close two consecutive ramps.

To view a video, go to https://youtu.be/za_thqHA92I or search for “Caltrans News Flash #60 – Retro-Reflective Signs Increase Safety, Reduce Costs.”

Q At Almaden Expressway to Branham Avenue, it’s somewhat ambiguous which lane on the other side of the intersection we are being pointed to. Some markings lead into lane No. 2, but there is also a dotted line between lanes No. 2 and No. 3 that guides the driver to the proper lane. Multiple times I’ve had to avoid an oblivious driver who went directly across the intersection to lane No. 2.

The fix is simple; paint a dotted line guiding us where to go. Can you help?

Randy Ollenburger

San Jose

A Sure can. The county will add additional pavement markings in the next three to four weeks.

Q Please suggest to your reader who thinks he will be unable to drive after spinal fusion that he purchase a clip-on, wide-angle, rear-view mirror. On many cars, with such a mirror, you can eliminate the blind spot by also removing the back-seat headrests and adjusting the outside mirrors. Thus, you would not need to turn your head to safely change lanes. I recommend a curved 300 mm mirror sold by Amazon. It costs less than $50.

Sue Kayton

Menlo Park

A Thanks, Sue.

Q Nothing is more frightening than having one’s car drop dead in traffic. This has happened twice to me but each time the first thing I did was turn on the flashers. That is what the driver should have done. Surprised you did not mention this life-saving first alert.

Blanche Smith

Atherton

A Very good advice. Chris Mengarelli’s car conked out recently on 280 and she was rescued by several folks. She did turn on her emergency lights, but my editing fingers deleted that.

Follow Gary Richards at Facebook.com/mr.roadshow or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com or 408-920-5335.