Jose Mier reporting on Sun Valley Traffic.
If you live and drive in Sun Valley you know the I-5 freeway is a major thoroughfare for truck traffic. Since Interstate 5 runs the entire length of California from San Diego to the Oregon border it stand to reason that our vital truck traffic is going to make use of this roadway.
Trucks and truckers are getting more attention these days as we begin to appreciate just how vital they are to the American economy. They deliver the goods we buy at supermarkets, warehouse stores and any other retail establishment you can imagine. As an aside, think about those packs of toilet paper we’re all searching for at Costco, hoping against hope we’ll find one on the shelves on this particular trip. Who brought it? Someone driving a big-rig truck.
Jose Mier’s Drive on the 5 in Sun Valley
Our Sun Valley stretch of the 5 seems to be the worst shape of all compared to other sections of the 5. I’ve driven almost the entire length of this freeway on trips from SoCal to Oregon and have always thought our portion of the freeway was deteriorating more than anywhere else. I chalk this up to the population density in greater Los Angeles. More people means more products to buy which in turn means more trucks. As a result, our little bit of the 5 has taken more than its share of the beatings imposed by heavyweight truck traffic. Need proof? Take a drive northbound on the 5 from the 134 freeway through Sun Valley to the 170 interchange. You tell me if the ride isn’t more than a bit jarring from filled-in potholes that are only a stopgap fix.
However, because I’ve been keeping an eye on the freeway improvements, paying special attention to My5LA.com, I’ve read that the improvements in our Sun Valley area will include specially-designated truck lanes. This may be a godsend. Having a lane dedicated to truck traffic will serve to extend the life of the new roadway once in place in that truck and cars won’t be competing for the same piece of the road that they do now.
This, along with direct HOV connectors to allow drivers to stay in the HOV lane even when changing freeways, should go a long way to relieve the traffic nightmare Sun Valley has been living with for decades. I for one am looking forward to it.