WGx reader and San Jose Metroblogger Joann Landers provided us with the harrowing details of trying to merge onto the Alma Street exit from southbound Highway 87 last month. Because that wasn’t challening enough for local drivers, CalTrans has made the entrance ramp from Alma to northbound 87 even tougher:

A — Caltrans is trying to speed up work here and will meet with the contractor to see if they can change the configuration of the K-rail temporary barrier. The merge lane will be lengthened when work on the retaining wall next to the on-ramp is done in a few weeks. And when the widening on 87 is completed north of here in the summer, Alma traffic will have its own merge lane.

The state says there are two problems: drivers going 75 mph in the No. 3 lane even though the speed limit is 55 mph, and drivers on the on-ramp stopping.

The SJ Mercury News Roadshow column addresses quite a few Highway 87 issues in today’s edition. If you were on vacation, you might have missed it.