Blackberry Gate Update: Flag People to Control Single-Lane Traffic

To ensure safety at Blackberry Gate during the current two-month construction project, beginning tomorrow, July 27, single-lane traffic through the gate will be controlled by flag people, and stop signs will be posted on the uphill and downhill sides of the kiosk. Motorists entering and exiting the Lab via Blackberry Gate should expect delays. Lab buses will be given priority.

Drivers are encouraged to instead use Strawberry Gate and Grizzly Gate. To accommodate the increase in traffic at these gates and to avoid making a more difficult left turn onto Centennial Drive, drivers intending to exit the Lab and go downhill on Centennial should use Grizzly Gate. Drivers intending to exit the Lab and head uphill on Centennial should use Strawberry Gate. Drivers exiting the Lab through these gates should be very cautious of cars and cyclists traveling down Centennial Drive. The University of California’s Police Department will be monitoring traffic safety on Centennial.

Specifically, beginning tomorrow, the following traffic controls will be in place until it is safe to resume two-way traffic through Blackberry Gate:

• Between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., flag people and guards will control traffic in both directions at Blackberry Gate. Drivers exiting the Building 88 parking lot must also heed the flag people and guards.
  
  
• Between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., traffic will be controlled by two new stop signs, one below the gate and one above the gate. During these hours, traffic through Blackberry gate will proceed via a one-lane, two-way traffic pattern. ALL VEHICLES entering and exiting the Lab through Blackberry Gate will be required to stop at the new stop signs. Drivers should be courteous and yield the right-of-way as they do in similar traffic situations, such as at a one-lane bridge for two-way traffic. 


• Bicyclists must abide by the same traffic controls as vehicles.

The controls will be subject to change, depending upon the progress of the project and changing road conditions.

Although these traffic controls may cause delays, they ensure that the Blackberry Gate renovation project can proceed in the safest manner possible. All motorists and bicyclists are asked to proceed with caution and heed the various traffic controls, such as signs and flag people, that are in place. People with concerns should contact the project manager, Jack Heffernan, at [email protected] or x5993.