Half Moon Bay Review
By Lily Bixler

Safety concerns about the Devil's Slide southbound crossing will be addressed again today as state politicians meet with Caltrans and concerned Midcoast representatives.

Representatives from the offices of state Assemblyman Jerry Hill and U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier will meet with Caltrans officials at the state agency's district office.

A similar meeting held March 3 brought state Sen. Leland Yee's office face to face with Caltrans officials. The two sides explained their positions on the intersection's safety, according to Len Erickson, one of three Midcoast Community Council representatives present at the meeting.

"Nothing conclusive resulted from (the meeting)," said David Burruto, district director for Yee's office.

The meeting was aimed at educating the state senator's office about the history of the crossing.

"It was productive in the sense that community members were able to articulate their concerns and better understand what drove the design of the crossing for Caltrans," Burruto said.

He added that Caltrans seemed open to the possibility of a pedestrian overpass or undercrossing but the agency wanted to take into account the cost of the different options.

The at-grade crossing under review would lead pedestrians from the east side of the road to a walking trail on the west side. The cross-walk would be roughly 460 feet from the tunnel's south exit and lights on the roadway would alert cars to pedestrians crossing from Green Valley Trail to a new Coastal Trail segment that's now part of Highway 1.

This design was the end result of collaboration between the California Coastal Commission, San Mateo County and Caltrans and was included in a design process in 2000 that included public comment.

Since then, however, many in the community have worried aloud that the planned crossing is dangerous.

Click here to read the original article.