Download the PDF (700 KB) of this letter here.
January 18, 2013
California Transportation Commission
Bimla Rhinehart, Executive Director
Malcolm Dougherty, Director and Bijan Sartipi, District 4 Director
Caltrans
Re: Chip seal resurfacing on State Highways
Dear Commissioners, Ms. Rhinehart, Mr. Dougherty, and Mr. Sartipi:
Highway 35 was recently resurfaced from the San Mateo County border northward to Highway 92. A 1/2-inch dimension chip seal treatment was used. This type of road surface is a serious safety hazard for cyclists; groups that have been riding this route for years are changing their routes just to avoid it. Previous chip seal treatments used by Caltrans were smaller dimension – 1/4 to 3/8-inch. While the smaller dimensions are acceptable and don't present the safety hazard that the 1/2 inch does, our preference is always for re-paving or slurry seal in place of chip seal.
We have now learned of an upcoming surfacing project on a portion of Highway 130, the road up Mount Hamilton in San José, that is currently slated to have the 1/2-inch chip seal. This project will create a dangerous environment for the many Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition members who enjoy this ride. We urge Caltrans to consider all road users when planning resurfacing projects and avoid using large-diameter aggregate that puts cyclists at risk.
We urge you to reconsider the use of large-aggregate chip seal on Highway 130 and throughout the State of California. We understand that such resurfacing presents some cost savings, but feel this is an excellent example of the intent of the Department of Transportation’s Deputy Directive 64, which guides the department to address “the safety and mobility needs of bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit users in all projects, regardless of funding.”
Thank you for you consideration. Please feel free to contact me at (408) 287-7259 or Corinne@bikesiliconvalley.org with any questions.
Sincerely,
Corinne Winter
President and Executive Director
Comments
Paul
January 22, 2013 - 5:25pm
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Thank you for this letter. I
Thank you for this letter. I think it could actually be stronger, given that the 1/2 aggregate is unsafe, and contradicts the AASHTO guidelines. Use of this chip seal runs totally against Complete Streets concepts and DD-64.
Dennis
February 20, 2013 - 1:01pm
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God I hope you can get them
God I hope you can get them to reconsider this. They have ruined Hwy 35 with this treatment and have in fact created a very dangerous environment there as a result. The job wasn't even done correctly; it was just low-bid, poor execution of an already inferior surfacing technique. Many riders have been injured already, and the surface is already starting to come up, which means it's only going to get worse.
I urge you to keep the pressure on and not allow them to ruin your roads, too. Good luck.
motminh
March 16, 2013 - 8:39pm
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The road surface is still bad
The road surface is still bad on Skyline. Did Caltrans ever reply about the issue?
Mike Jacoubowsky
March 18, 2013 - 5:10pm
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There are two further, very
There are two further, very important safety considerations regarding this new type of chip seal that haven't been brought up. First, the size of the chips holds gravel in place that ordinarily would have been swept away by cars. Months after the "repair", Highway 35 between Kings Mtn and 84 has retained gravel that is spitting off the narrower tires of cyclists. Second, cyclists are now riding further out into the roadway, seeking the section of road that's had some smoothing done by motorists' tires. I think cyclists and motorists alike would prefer to have bicycle traffic as far to the right as practical.
Thank you,
Mike Jacoubowsky, Partner
Chain Reaction Bicycles