Residents Seek Traffic Engineer, Question Air Pollution at Fair Oaks Project

As a result of the city's recent commissioning of police officers to regulate traffic flow throughout the , community members have brought forth a slew of additional questions. Not only have business owners complained of excessive ticketing and air pollution (at the April 6 city council meeting), but some are also arguing to bring on an experienced traffic engineer to ease the flow of traffic. 

"I think police have done an excellent job considering the situation, but I think a traffic engineer would probably have a better oversight of what needs to be done," said Lorena Manriquez, who is a resident of South Pas and registered civil engineer in the state of California. "Police are not trained to engineer traffic flow; it would be really helpful if we had an expert."

In addition to regular patrol staffing, the police department has one officer assigned from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week, who focuses mostly on the 600-700 block of Fair Oaks, said Police Chief Joseph Payne. Two additional officers are used to moderate traffic: One manually controls the signal box at Fair Oaks and the freeway during peak hours and the other directs traffic at Fair Oaks and Mission Street when necessary. Some of these officers are being paid overtime, with others being taken away from their typical day-to-day work duties. 

While these officers are not trained engineers, Payne said he has received phone calls and emails from community members commending the department's work on moderating traffic. 

"Traffic engineering can be dynamic. If you alleviate traffic on one area, it will tend to shift elsewhere," he said. "[Traffic engineering] is truly a science."

Public Works Project Manager Gabriel Nevarez said a traffic engineer would have been involved with the design plans, which have already been completed.

"This has already been designed by a civil engineer," he said. "We have a civil engineer on board now who spends four hours a day walking around the streets. If something goes awry, we get it resolved as soon as possible."

As for the excessive ticketing mentioned at the city council meeting, Payne said more than 50 percent of the citations that were issued to motorists along the corridor construction project are for 'gridlock' violations.

"Since 1987 the law has been clear that a motorist may not enter an intersection without having sufficient room to clear the intersection when the light changes," he said. "Enforcement of gridlock laws allows traffic to flow better." 

With traffic flow a main concern, residents are also worried that the construction area is unsafe due to sandblasting and toxins in the air. 

"The construction is so loud and there has been so much dust that a lot of our pharmacy customers are opting to have their prescriptions delivered," said Sharon Lowe, a pharmacy clerk at . 

Long-time South Pas resident Gretchen Robinette can understand why.

"At 8 a.m. [Monday], I went to at Hope Street and Fair Oaks. Traveling north from our office at Bank Street and Fair Oaks, I could see clouds of dust," she explained. "It looked like a heavy fog all the way up Fair Oaks—so much so that I could barely make out the Comerica Bank at Fair Oaks and Mission Street."

As a result of residents calling in, the Air Quality Management District (AQMD) visited the construction site Monday to observe procedures. This was one of about four visits since the project began in October, said Nevarez.

"At times, yes, we have to sandblast. We try to minimize by putting water down to keep the dust down," he said. "[The AQMD] came out yesterday to observe. If there is no dust, then they call it good and leave."

All American Asphalt, who is on-site overseeing the project, said if AQMD doesn't see any violation when responding to a complaint, a conversation will take place as to what happened prior to their arrival and what proper cleaning protocol should occur in the future. As for Monday, the company said no verbal or written warning was administered, and that it anticipates no heavy dust in the near future. 

The police department, public works, city manager and select council members partake in weekly meetings to discuss the construction progress and community feedback; they then report updates at each council meeting. Officers have been assigned to oversee traffic flow until slated completion in June. 

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