Dangerous Flooding

El Camino is a state highway.  That is why you see the older Hwy 82 signs on the King's Road.  As such it would be good if Caltrans maintained it better.  Instead of trying to spend millions cutting down protected eucalyptus trees and adding turn lanes, how about just getting the drainage fixed as a first safety step.  I posted a similar photo years ago, but nothing has changed since.

While we wait for the next rain (due Saturday it appears) here is one of several dangerous flooded sections.  This photo was taken more than four hours after the rain stopped!

Comments

[Cassandra]

I agree. Driving to church in the morning after the rain was dangerous due to the flooding and the potholes. I fear Caltrans leaves C-82 like this so people would be glad to blow the whole road uo and start over again with a four-lane drag strip.

One thing I have done in the case of imminent danger is to go to the Caltrans website and report the danger: in one case a dead tree that is about to fall over C-35 near my house. Caltrans gets back to you with a "commit" or "no commit" and will tell you when the job is done. This seems a good way to warn Caltrans and the leave the litigation snare around their toes.

I do trim bushes around some intersections up in the hills because of obscured sight-lines and blind curves. Yes- I have filled potholes.

[Bruce Dickinson]

Folks, to Bruce "divergent thinking" Dickinson, we have got what appears to be a case of what I like to call an intentional self destructing situation. Caltrans wants the ECR trees gone, and therefore does nothing to remediate the flooding, because the flooding can be conveniently blamed on the trees due to intruding roots. Classic passive-aggressive ways governmental bodies and agencies dealing with problems: let communities wait and the problem magically becomes the solution over time.

Well, as yours truly says, the only real way to break a tug-of-war is easy: cut the rope!

What Burlingame should consider is transferring the section of ECR within city limits from the State back to the city! This can be done via legislative action. Such an action can be coattailed on a State Omnibus bill, essentially a consent item for non-controversial issues. The only controversy may be within San Mateo County, which has gotten poisoned from ABAG/Trains Everywhere/High Density Housing/HSR Kool-Aid. Below is an example of this happening in Hollister:

https://benitolink.com/senate-bill-gives-san-benito-street-hollister

This also depends on the Burlingame City Council taking a strong stance for a change, but Bruce Dickinson is fast losing hope for a more dynamic body. I was initially encouraged with the new faces, but looks like they are getting a lot of (mis)guidance from the veterans and probably following their advice of avoiding complexity and controversy at all costs. Furthermore, as basically an all-volunteer position, a council member is either protecting/enhancing a business interest, doing it for true altruism, trying to climb party rank, or getting a big ego trip by being in charge of something and sitting on all these regional ABAG, MTC, supra-regional agencies "policy setting" making them feel important, while unbeknownst to them, the real policies are are being dictated from the State.

We in turn, get diktats by our council and city.

As the saying goes, s&it rolls downhill!

[[email protected]]

I agree with your observation.
Nevertheless, it is unlike "Divergent Dickenson" to accept this government "passing of the buck."
Cutting the rope as you state is an option too.
However, there is so much liability involved with the effect the trees have on traffic and pedestrian safety, property values, as well as pending litigation, no one will ever take full responsibility for those very beautiful trees.

[Jennifer]

I noticed a new "flood area" after this big rain. I don't think it is a coincidence that it happens to be where a huge tree was removed several months ago, in front of the Russian Orthodox Church. These trees have the capacity to absorb lots of water through their roots--one of the reasons they were planted in lower lying areas like these, in the first place; with the drought, it's been easy to forget the 7 creeks that run through Burlingame.

[J. Mir]

Driving ECR through Burlingame is like driving in a third world country. (Yes i've done it, a bunch) I have a hard time believing it is just a 'drainage' thing and that the trees aren't a factor. I dread the thought of our budding teen driver ever having to take that route.

[Euc Lover]

Those rises that are bigger than bumps are caused by the trees sometimes. Other times they are just for drainage. They both slow people down ESPECIALLY teen drivers

[Timothy Hooker]

Not popular; but we have got to take those tress down which cause the problems. We can always plant less damaging trees.
I worry about the crazy people who bike down the El Camino Real road. The potholes are enormous.

How much are we paying per year on pruning these trees
How much do we pay for repairing the road
How many accidents caused by the blind spots
At 40-45 MPG nobody should have to risk being that close to a tree that size and dangerous.
The trees have zero beauty factor. They are ugly trees.

[Euc Lover]

Everything you say is nonsense except the part about crazy people biking on El Camino (hello! that's what the sidewalk is for on our section!). The rest is just plain wrong. Potholes slow people down and so do big trees nearby. They are not ugly. I think they are majestic and they define our town.

[Laura]

Tim, have to agree with Euc lover. Those trees are majestic and they define Burlingame. This area of El Camino was declared a State historical land mark due to those trees and they have a history. I for one will fight hard to save them as I cannot imagine that street without them! By the way, the State maintains them, not the City of Burlingame.

[Bruce Dickinson]

Well folks, looks like Timmy is Hooked on stack n' pack! Guy, seriously, those mighty Eucs may not have koalas like in Oz, but they transform Burlingame's character and make it stand out from the (stack n') pack of Millbrae, San Mateo, Redwood City, places that are quickly losing all vestiges of character and are transforming into Van Nuys or Irvine. Moreover, the Eucs serve as the defining point of the "Tree City USA" where trees are highly valued for their aesthetic, natural, and bucolic appeal, not to mention they make great wind-breakers.

If that's not reason enough, if you care about the value of your real estate (and Bruce Dickinson does, even in my modest Burlingame abode, relative to my other vast real estate holdings), you would realize that the trees in this town overall are adding about $300k, maybe more to every single property. Properties with trees within their boundaries regularly fetch $100k more just for a few thousand square feet compared to ones that have no trees! Look no further for lateral examples in Marin, Menlo Park, Palo Alto. A natural, park like setting is a precious resource that is adding even more scarcity value to Burlingame.

So what if a few bumps on the road or a slightly more complicated route to get to the freeway (i.e. the Peninsular/Poplar controversies) delays your Denny's run by a few minutes. C'mon guys, don't worry, they're not gonna run out of "Moons Over My Hammy!"

[Handle Bard]

Any real cyclist in town knows the city went to great effort to make CALIFORNIA the way to drive north-south in Burlingame. They did a great job as did the council woman who got us the money. This guy is a wannabe biker.

[fred]

Slightly more complicated? That's got to be the goofiest off-ramp in the entire state. If I was an injury lawyer I would set up an office on that corner with a 24 hour camera.

[local motion]

The whining about the bumps on EC in Burlingame are kind of sad. Just drive north on EC towards Poplar and you will see some real bumps. And there ain't no Eucalyptus trees there either. Don't blame the trees. Blame Caltrans for negligence.

[Matean]

Southbound from Poplar is not that great either for bumps and also no big trees.