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CHP: 55 mph speed limit on 101 remains in force


By RANDI ROSSMANN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 4:21 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 4:21 a.m.

The CHP is putting Highway 101 drivers in central Santa Rosa on alert: The speed limit there will remain 55 mph.

Highway 101 speed typically is 65 mph, but the limit through the city center was dropped to 55 mph during the lengthy highway widening project.

The majority of the work, mainly adding a lane in each direction recently finished.

"Now with the nice, smooth paved lanes, naturally people want to go faster," said CHP Sgt. Robert Mota. "But there's still congestion and lots of on- and offramps in the area."

"We're going to keep it at 55. It's a safety factor," Mota said.

The reduced-speed area stretches about two miles, from south of the Highway 12 interchange to north of Steele Lane, near the Sonoma County Jail.

Mota said Caltrans soon will put up more signs to better advertise the ongoing 55 mph limit.

A dump truck crash on the highway near downtown Tuesday afternoon apparently occurred when the truck driver came upon slowed traffic and ran into two stopped cars.

The truck tipped over and spilled diesel fuel. Roads had to be closed, resulting in a massive traffic tie-up. No one was seriously injured.

Whether speed was an issue remains under investigation, but if all drivers in the area reduced their speed to the lower limit, it would help, Mota said.

"If they slow down, it will give people a little more time to make decisions and avoid a collision," he said.

He said officers will be told to focus on the area and to be ready to ticket speeders.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat

.com.


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  1. cint says...
    November 20, 2008 6:43:36 am

    RE: Link

    They'll keep it at 55 but not enforce anything like it is now with the near anarchy on all freeways and roads in the state. Traveled east on 112 into Santa Rosa @ 101 yesterday and the barricades and cones are still up with some thrown out of alignment making it feel as though you were performing a giant slalom at Heavenly but also very dangerous. and no construction personnel in sight, and of course no CHP anywhere around.

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  2. hudsonjohnf says...
    November 20, 2008 7:23:08 am

    This is a revenue producing speed limit, not a safety measure. It is much easier to give a lot of tickets in a 55 zone than a 65 zone simply because everyone will be in violation. People should fight their tickets. If the cops are made to show up in court they will stop using the traffic laws as a revenue source. Since when has the Highway Patrol had the authority to set speed limits?

    The previous poster is also right about the ramp from eastbound Highway 12 to southbound 101. It is dangerous. The other day I passed by a road worker next to that ramp spraying something on the ground in a huge volume producing a huge cloud of dust and other material. It hit my windshield.

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  3. krasore says...
    November 20, 2008 7:53:14 am

    As usual the CHP is a dope. If 65 was safe when 101 was a cluster how is it not safe now? Talk about revenue generating.

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  4. crader42 says...
    November 20, 2008 10:19:32 am

    This is so bogus. A two mile stretch of 55 in between 65's?? This is specifically to generate revenue. I drove home on that stretch on the evening of the first Monday it was open and saw four drivers pulled over. This is a 65+ mph designed hwy, I'm sorry times are tough for the CHP but speed trapping cash strapped citizens is wrong!

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