Mace Boulevard Road Improvement Causing Traffic Nightmare
DAVIS (CBS13) — It's been a mess on Mace Boulevard lately. Traffic backup on and around the road has become a headache for Davis locals and travelers alike. Especially on a Friday afternoon.
A major road improvement project wrapped up on Mace three months ago. The original design was supposed to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety by adding a lane specifically for them. It also eliminated an entire lane of traffic, causing backups, especially during commuting hours.
Even though the city has a traffic safety officer out to help with traffic, drivers are furious with the added commute times. The city said they hear their frustrations and are taking action.
"Starting next week we are going to be making some modifications which include some partial demolition of some of the median bulb-outs to improve the turning radius," said Davis Assistant City Manager Ashley Feeney.
Another big issue Davis and many other small communities along the interstates are dealing with are mobile apps such as Waze redirecting traffic off of I-80 and onto country roads not meant to handle that volume of vehicles.
The city said they are talking with Caltrans and representatives from the navigation apps to see what can be done to prevent snarls in traffic. They say the discussions are difficult because the directions are based on an algorithm and change often.
Tune in to the CBS13 News at 10 for more on this story and hear what the city is doing to fix it.
