Monday, March 26, 2012

Slugging my way across a network of freeways that spanned over 100 miles today as it poured rain, I couldn’t help but question all the repairs Caltrans has spent the past near year doing.  Yes, the improvements have gone a long ways towards addressing poor freeway conditions that have accrued over the past thirty years, but there was a major repair overlooked—the drainage of rain run off.

There were miles upon miles of freeway I traversed where the fast lane, where the majority of the water was graded to run towards, failed to make its way to the drainage slats that were beyond sporadically placed.  The result?  Sections of the road became so flooded with water that cars hydroplaned and cast off enormous waves of water that splashed so overwhelmingly on unsuspecting drivers on the opposite side of the freeway, those walls of water obliterating all visibility, as to make most motorists avoid driving in the fast lanes all together.

So a thought crossed my mind, me being nothing more than a lowly motorist and not some highly informed Caltrans executive.  I wondered why, during the planning process of digging up the intricate network of freeways that create our southern Californian highway system to improve upon them, no one thought to mention the flooding problem that occurs each and every time we have a day of rain.  Or, if the topic was discussed, why wasn’t the problem addressed?

I realize that here in southern California, we don’t experience anywhere near the treacherous road conditions caused by bad weather as elsewhere.  But, if even a single life could be saved, doesn’t it make sense to address a problem that has been inherent since our freeways were widened more than a decade ago?  That widening transformed the original emergency lanes, where rainwater could slowly run off, into new fast lanes.  As such, the lives of thousands are put in jeopardy each and every time we get a steady amount of rain.  Just tonight, I witnessed another of these tragic accidents and hoped upon all hope that those involved would be okay.

Like I said, I’m not a highly informed Caltrans executive.  As such, I may be missing a significant part of the picture.  All I know is that when I pass by tragic accidents every time we get a good amount of rain, my heart cinches up and my mind races with the same question: how many more lives will have to be lost before our freeway flooding problem will be addressed?