That's terrible! I can't get the article to open for me, but someone posted some pictures in the Brentwood section and it looks like an awful accident. I hope the other people involved are going to be ok.
I hate . . . hate-hate-hate the bypass, and have ever since it first opened. Watch the other drivers . . . nearly everyone is so intimidated by a head-on crash waiting to happen that they drive as far to the right as possible (myself included).
This is yet one more Bay Area Blood Alley in the making. Why it wasn't designed with a center median or divider of some sort was sheer idiocy. I see lotsa future lawsuits in my li'l crystal ball.
I was involved in an accident on the bypass a few years ago. Luckily, it only involved myself and an object that flew out of someone's pick up truck that was on the opposite side of the road. Of course whoever the nice person was who was operating the vehicle kept going.
With the speed limit at 50 or 55 MPH on the hwy. 4 bypass, there should be a center median to divide the two lanes. This accident is proof that without that median you can easily be on the wrong side of the road in the blink of an eye.
An innocent lady looses her life. Another driver must live with the tragedy.
I drive to work several days a week on this new blood alley. The speeding and tailgating is out of control. 4 lanes to 2 and no barrier. Of course when it opened all of the local leaders that sit on the bypass authority including the Mayor of Brentwood were patting themselves on the back. Now they can allocate $$$$ to fix this new mess.
I am very deeply saddened to hear of the loss and to have seen this accidents aftermath from my own backyard. My heartfelt condolences to the Burke family and wishes of easy recoveries for the other parties involved.
It is seriously unfortunate that tradgedies like these must occur at the expense of valuable lives of the victims and family members in order for the roads to change. Having just moved here from Butte County, I have heard all too much the human toll the roads must take in order for them to be stretched to two lanes or to have safer barriers in curves or create safer road overpasses instead of crossing oncoming traffic. ( see HWY 70 or HWY 99)
I live within sight of this stretch of SR4 Bypass and do avoid it at all costs because it is too heavily traveled now and all the surface streets like Shady Willow and Fairview are barren of traffic. One must wonder why a stretch of road expected to handle so much traffic now and in the near future with the new Mall nearing completion was only made to be two lanes
( I am aware of future wants to create an overpass at Sand Creek).
In my opinion it was asking for trouble to make a stretch of HWY 4 coming in from Antioch at four lanes squish into 2 opposing lanes after Lone Trees exit ( which in all reality has people going 70+ after the open highway), make a demilune corner and only put up plastic pylons that protect no one yet intimidate the already bad Bay Area drivers.
Did no one in the State Route 4 Bypass Authority read up on all the deaths on the other stretch of SR4 that is two lanes only? Did we need yet another two laner section?? We couldn't scrounge funds for a 2x2 ??
Then again designing it to have no connection from the SR4 bypass to SR 160 or the Antioch Bridge without going miles in the wrong direction first, or travelling on surface streets wasn't in Antioch or Brentwood's best interest either but that faux paux at least isn't taking lives.
I am happy to be leaving this area for Los Angeles in a few months where try as they might to control traffic ( another comment for another day) , at least there are center divides and multiple lanes to ensure residents stand a chance head on.
Brentwood needs to wake up and not treat the local, tax paying citizens as if they are a statistic to be used in the future to get funding to widen roads they should have built bigger in the first place.
This is very sad. I ALWAYS get the eebie geebies when I travel that strech of the bypass. My Father in Law died in a head on elsewhere, and I think of him every time I'm on that stretch of road. My husband said he does the same thing. I think the new bypass makes it worse, because cars headed south fly off the new freeway. Like you, I avoid that stretch of road as much as possible.
"I am happy to be leaving this area for Los Angeles in a few months where try as they might to control traffic ( another comment for another day) , at least there are center divides and multiple lanes to ensure residents stand a chance head on."
The intersection at Sand Creek is destined to become a veritable nightmare once the new shopping center opens. The bypass as it currently exists is incapable of handling the increased traffic that will be generated. I was unaware of the potential overpass to accommodate it, but that also seems laughable given the existing lane restrictions (i.e., a two-lane overpass over a two-lane highway . . . that will just continue to compound the problem).
Our leaders at this point are very predictable in regards to public safety. They do not regard it all in east county. For example, the new bypass where the wreck occured, right were I told my wife "can you believe this is what they built". And what furthermore disgust's me is the design. To have a single lane coming over the pass and directly into a merging lane, where in my opinion the majority of travelers are. It is much like a familiar friend VASCO with no K-RAIL in this section. Kudos to the leaders for the basic priorities such as fire service to simple road construction in far east county, it seems they can't get anything right (and we are all suffering the consequneces). I truly hope the BY-PASS designers are held accountable in regards to this accident and my family's prayers are with all involved.
My prayers are with those that were involved in the accident and their families. I hope that everyone is doing okay and finds the answers they are looking for as well as some peace.
Posted on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 18:55 — by ArachnidGuy
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1426
That's terrible! I can't get the article to open for me, but someone posted some pictures in the Brentwood section and it looks like an awful accident. I hope the other people involved are going to be ok.
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 28
I hate . . . hate-hate-hate the bypass, and have ever since it first opened. Watch the other drivers . . . nearly everyone is so intimidated by a head-on crash waiting to happen that they drive as far to the right as possible (myself included).
This is yet one more Bay Area Blood Alley in the making. Why it wasn't designed with a center median or divider of some sort was sheer idiocy. I see lotsa future lawsuits in my li'l crystal ball.
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 62
Just like our infamous Vasco!!!
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 55
The section between Lone Tree and Sand Creek didn't open in February, it opened several years ago. And the two lane design is definitely dangerous.
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 59
I was involved in an accident on the bypass a few years ago. Luckily, it only involved myself and an object that flew out of someone's pick up truck that was on the opposite side of the road. Of course whoever the nice person was who was operating the vehicle kept going.
With the speed limit at 50 or 55 MPH on the hwy. 4 bypass, there should be a center median to divide the two lanes. This accident is proof that without that median you can easily be on the wrong side of the road in the blink of an eye.
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 6
A very sad situation.
An innocent lady looses her life. Another driver must live with the tragedy.
I drive to work several days a week on this new blood alley. The speeding and tailgating is out of control. 4 lanes to 2 and no barrier. Of course when it opened all of the local leaders that sit on the bypass authority including the Mayor of Brentwood were patting themselves on the back. Now they can allocate $$$$ to fix this new mess.
Like they did not learn from Vasco Road?????
For now the CHP needs to step up the enforcement
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 2
I am very deeply saddened to hear of the loss and to have seen this accidents aftermath from my own backyard. My heartfelt condolences to the Burke family and wishes of easy recoveries for the other parties involved.
It is seriously unfortunate that tradgedies like these must occur at the expense of valuable lives of the victims and family members in order for the roads to change. Having just moved here from Butte County, I have heard all too much the human toll the roads must take in order for them to be stretched to two lanes or to have safer barriers in curves or create safer road overpasses instead of crossing oncoming traffic. ( see HWY 70 or HWY 99)
I live within sight of this stretch of SR4 Bypass and do avoid it at all costs because it is too heavily traveled now and all the surface streets like Shady Willow and Fairview are barren of traffic. One must wonder why a stretch of road expected to handle so much traffic now and in the near future with the new Mall nearing completion was only made to be two lanes ( I am aware of future wants to create an overpass at Sand Creek). In my opinion it was asking for trouble to make a stretch of HWY 4 coming in from Antioch at four lanes squish into 2 opposing lanes after Lone Trees exit ( which in all reality has people going 70+ after the open highway), make a demilune corner and only put up plastic pylons that protect no one yet intimidate the already bad Bay Area drivers. Did no one in the State Route 4 Bypass Authority read up on all the deaths on the other stretch of SR4 that is two lanes only? Did we need yet another two laner section?? We couldn't scrounge funds for a 2x2 ?? Then again designing it to have no connection from the SR4 bypass to SR 160 or the Antioch Bridge without going miles in the wrong direction first, or travelling on surface streets wasn't in Antioch or Brentwood's best interest either but that faux paux at least isn't taking lives.
I am happy to be leaving this area for Los Angeles in a few months where try as they might to control traffic ( another comment for another day) , at least there are center divides and multiple lanes to ensure residents stand a chance head on.
Brentwood needs to wake up and not treat the local, tax paying citizens as if they are a statistic to be used in the future to get funding to widen roads they should have built bigger in the first place.
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 112
This is very sad. I ALWAYS get the eebie geebies when I travel that strech of the bypass. My Father in Law died in a head on elsewhere, and I think of him every time I'm on that stretch of road. My husband said he does the same thing. I think the new bypass makes it worse, because cars headed south fly off the new freeway. Like you, I avoid that stretch of road as much as possible.
"Bake Cupcakes"
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 2
"I am happy to be leaving this area for Los Angeles in a few months where try as they might to control traffic ( another comment for another day) , at least there are center divides and multiple lanes to ensure residents stand a chance head on."
Unless Nicole Richie is driving.
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 2
oh yeah i forgot about her
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 28
The intersection at Sand Creek is destined to become a veritable nightmare once the new shopping center opens. The bypass as it currently exists is incapable of handling the increased traffic that will be generated. I was unaware of the potential overpass to accommodate it, but that also seems laughable given the existing lane restrictions (i.e., a two-lane overpass over a two-lane highway . . . that will just continue to compound the problem).
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1
Our leaders at this point are very predictable in regards to public safety. They do not regard it all in east county. For example, the new bypass where the wreck occured, right were I told my wife "can you believe this is what they built". And what furthermore disgust's me is the design. To have a single lane coming over the pass and directly into a merging lane, where in my opinion the majority of travelers are. It is much like a familiar friend VASCO with no K-RAIL in this section. Kudos to the leaders for the basic priorities such as fire service to simple road construction in far east county, it seems they can't get anything right (and we are all suffering the consequneces). I truly hope the BY-PASS designers are held accountable in regards to this accident and my family's prayers are with all involved.
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9
My prayers are with those that were involved in the accident and their families. I hope that everyone is doing okay and finds the answers they are looking for as well as some peace.