Drivers Call For Repairs To South San Jose Connector Ramp

SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) – Drivers in the South Bay are complaining a ramp connecting two busy freeways is so bumpy that their vehicles are almost getting airborne as they drive over it.

The rough ride is at the flyover connector ramp between highways 85 and 101 in South San Jose.

Caltrans was taking action on Wednesday to fix the ramp in both directions, not long after KPIX 5 started asking questions.

"You feel like you lift off your seat a little bit," said driver Angelo Mata.

South Bay commuter Jackie Bradrick agreed.

"I have to hold on to my dog because I'm afraid she's going to just fly right out the window," said Bradrick.

KPIX 5 took GoPro video with a vehicle traveling at the speed limit.

It showed that a car traveling over a dip that was caught on camera didn't quite take flight, but it did seem to bounce significantly.

"Me and my manager joked the other day that we're going to fly right off the road because of that dip right there," said Mata.

Regular drivers on this stretch of road between Morgan Hill and South San Jose say the dip has always been there.

"When they built it they didn't compact the soil on all these sections of 85 and 87.  And it just gets worse over time," said another driver who gave his name as Dave.

But the dip seems to have gotten worse after the very wet winter.

The ground beneath the ramp was washed out in some places by the flooding from Coyote Creek in February.

Caltrans says it is aware of the problem, but a spokesperson declined to comment on camera. Over the phone, they said hydrologists and soils experts will be looking at the underfooting, but they gave no timeline on when repairs would be made.

Maybe it was just a coincidence, but not long after KPIX 5 inquired, Caltrans crews and the CHP shut down the ramp for about an hour.

It appeared they just made some surface repairs to a series of potholes on the ramp before reopening it Wednesday afternoon.

Drivers said they hope there is a permanent fix soon.

"It's dangerous. They're going to wait for a major accident, then they're going to fix it," said Mata.