Many thought they had a tire problem. Some thought it was engine trouble.
For more than a year drivers on the 101 Freeway have been bothered by a humming sound, leading some to call it the “singing freeway.”
The noise and drag on cars is the result of Caltrans’ replacement of the concrete median along 19 miles of highway from Calabasas to Hollywood.
When they finished the median, they changed the traffic pattern and so changed lane stripes temporarily. When it came time to permanently re-stripe the pavement, they ground out the old stripes, which left grooves in the roadway.
The grooves are what cause the humming noise, most noticeable for drivers in the lane next to the median.
Last week Caltrans began the job to “smooth out” the freeway using a machine from Skidabrader, a California company. The machine propels steel forward along the pavement that abrades the surface and removes the grooves.
Work is nearly completely on northbound lanes, and work on southbound lanes will take place this week between 11 pm and 5 pm on weekdays.
