CalTrans is a joke. Seems that any time it snows in the SoCal mountains they want to require chains to get by, when a 4 wheel drive with snow tires should be enough... and I'm not talking about those folks that put 20" road tires on a truck. Not only that, but CalTrans guys are rude as all hell about sending you home, like they take pleasure in it. Guess that's what happens when you give someone a "little" bit of authority.
The bigger problem is that CalTrans is slacking. There is no reason that they can't have better snowplow coverage in the mountains. They certainly have enough personnel. Last time I got turned away, I saw at least 5 CalTrans guys standing around or sitting in a pickup truck doing nothing. Put them to work driving a Snowplow.
I admit they got a bunch of snow during this last storm (5ft), but it shouldn't take them 3 days to get 1 out of 3 highways open to Big Bear. In addition, their website information is not up to date half the time or it contradicts itself. The "mountain roads" report doesn't match the "current conditions" in a consistent manner.
I came from the Rocky Mountain states and have never needed chains on a 4 wheel drive vehicle, which tells me that the road crews there are doing a much better job. Besides, CalTrans doesn't have that many roadways to handle. Why aren't they more prepared for these situations? They know it's going to snow... Train these extra guys to do more than stand around pointing and chit-chatting... get them in a rig and help get the roads cleared and safe!! read more