Caltrans: ramp meter would smooth US‑101 but not cut traffic on SR‑156; county officials question who should pay

Terry Thompson, a Caltrans presenter, told the San Benito County Council of Governments on March 20 that a ramp meter at the SR‑156 southbound on‑ramp to U.S. 101 would help smooth traffic on 101 but "will not serve your purpose of decreasing the traffic flow around 156." Thompson said the agency studied reconfiguration options to lengthen the merge taper and reduce turbulence on 101.

Why it matters: The stretch where SR‑156 traffic joins southbound US‑101 is a recurring congestion point for commuters and weekend travelers to the coast. Caltrans officials said engineering work on the ramp could improve 101 flow, but local leaders and residents argued improvements to 101 would not solve backups on SR‑156 and questioned whether county COG funds should pay for a state highway problem.

Caltrans described two primary local partnership options. Thompson said one alternative would add roughly 600 feet of merging taper and would require about $2,550,000…