'Freeway Construction Project Is Dangerous' Says Local Man

No question about it, traffic congestion is firing people up across the San Fernando Valley.

In the Sherman Oaks morning rush hour, it can take nearly 20 minutes just to travel the one long section of Ventura Boulevard between Van Nuys and Sepulveda Boulevards.

People sitting in their cars, going nowhere, are clearly furious.

But another traffic issue generating many complaints involves the Eastbound 101 Freeway off ramp at Van Nuys Boulevard. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has reduced the number of lanes on the ramp from three to two as part of a construction project that will actually widen the freeway exit.

"What happens is, the reduction in lanes on the off ramp is creating a major danger that extends back on to the 101 freeway," says Richard Zankan who lives in Tarzana but frequently visits his daugher who lives in Sherman Oaks.

"I've witnessed accidents there, somebody is going to get killed there because  the backup of cars on the 101 freeway extends back over 150 yards, people are cutting in and out of the line up at high speeds," added Zankan.

" This has been going on forever, how long is this construction going to last?" asks Zankan, with fury in his eyes.

"The project started in February 2011 and we're going to be working there until August 2012," said Patrick Chandler, a spokesperson for Caltrans.

How many accidents have occured there?

"We don't have any accident data on the off ramp itself," said Chandler.

He explained that accidents on the freeway exit can be covered by the California Hyway Patrol or the Los Angeles Police Department.

"There may not be an exact count of accidents at that particular location because various agencies cover it," added Chandler.

"It can take you nearly half an hour to get off the freeway at Van Nuys Boulevard," says Claudia Zankan who also makes regular trips into Sherman Oaks.

"They've got to fix that situation soon," added Zankan. "It's more than just an inconvenience,it's creating an unsafe situation and nobody is doing anything about it."

Caltrans contends that widening the offramp will speed things up eventually.

"The entire project will be finally completed by summer of 2013, that means all the finishing touches will be done by then. But the offramp widening should be finished by August of this year," said Chandler.