Traffic officials speak on solutions after family survives crash with semi-truck on Highway 101
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) A mother and three children are expected to fully recover after the California Highway Patrol says they were hit by a semi-truck driver who made an illegal U-turn on Highway 101.
The crash happened on the northbound side of the 101 at Hartnell Road just before 8:00 a.m. Monday — an area where U-turns are prohibited for trucks.
"We still get out-of-area trucks coming in and following their GPS, telling them to make the U-turns and not following the signs," said Officer Justin Roberts with the California Highway Patrol. "Unfortunately, that's what happened yesterday. He just didn't obey the signs posted."
CHP confirmed with KION that a mother was inside the white sedan that was hit with her three children. A three-year-old, eight-year-old and an 11-year-old were airlifted to San Jose. The mother suffered a broken fibula and forearm and was taken to Natividad Medical Center.
Luckily, all those involved in the crash are expected to be okay, but the same can't be said for many past deadly crashes in this dangerous stretch of the highway.
"You hear constant fatalities there," said Ron, who is a truck driver who grew up in the Salinas Valley. "101 is becoming an increasing problem because the trucking industry in this area has grown."
Roberts said the no U-turn signs for trucks — which were added in areas between Salinas and Chualar in 2019 — have helped to decrease the number of accidents. But the CHP, along with Cal Trans and the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) are hoping to do more.
"[The signs] are successful as an interim solution, but they're only as good as people following the signs," said Doug Bilse, Principal Engineer for TAMC.
Although trucks are prohibited from making left turns and U-turns, cars are still allowed to make those dangerous turns, with no other options to exit.
"Right now we have vehicles that make left turns into and out of the access points for the farm fields and the AG services around there. And we want to eliminate that and have a frontage road on either side of the 101 and then improve the interchanges that exist already," said Bilse.
Bilse said the "U.S. 101 South of Salinas Improvements" project is still in the planning and development stages.
"The U.S. 101 corridor in that area has been a high priority for TAMC... We have enough to get us to what we call 'shovel ready.' And that means that the design will be done in a couple of years and the environmental will be done, and the permitting, and we'll be ready to go out and hopefully get grants and get this fully funded," said Bilse.
TAMC said part of the funding for the project is going to come from Measure X, which was passed by voters in Monterey County in 2015.
Until then, the CHP is asking truckers and other drivers to follow the traffic laws in the area to avoid these potentially deadly crashes.
"You exit to the middle in the median, and that just isn't standard. It just creates a high collision rate that we see along that corridor. So it's something we need to address," added Bilse.
As for this latest crash, the CHP said the truck driver will be facing a fine and a citation.
