December 3, 1963A recurring story for area journalists is accidents on Cuesta Grade. This heavy equipment truck crashed 44 years ago today. With an extra lane and a concrete median the road feels safer today though people drive faster.
Related posts:
Looks like a doozy!
The huge number of accidents and deaths on Cuesta over nearly 40 years can be partially blamed on Harold James Miossi, a citizen of SLO County that fought against widening Cuesta grade back in the 60s. As a result, slow truck traffic mixed with cars and many deaths resulted. Miossi died in November 2006 and was credited with saving the grade from widening. A sad obituary. Until completion of Cuesta’s eventual widening in October 2003, this lifesaving construction was still fought by extreme environmentalists as can be seen in this 1999 report: Road to Ruin.
In other words, Miossi is credited with ‘saving the grade’ from something that eventually happened anyway. Sounds like an empty victory at best.
Reading your references, slorider, I would place the blame on an entrenched CalTrans mentality, as they eventually widened the grade in a manner very similar to that advocated by Miossi.
Good point; nevertheless how many lives were lost, gas wasted in traffic, and time lost due to Miossi’s and others’ efforts? Further, ECOSLO’s opposition and the Road to Ruin report in 1999 fought any widening whatsoever. These people weren’t against the manner in which is was completed—they were against it period.
Gee slorider,
First you blame Miossi, now you switch gears and shift the blame to ECOSLO?
You bob and weave like a prizefighter.
Give us a call when you have your story straight – it makes my head hurt trying to keep up.
don’t get into it with him, anonymous. slorider is a poison pen.
won’t even let the dead rest in peace.
“My point is that any design CalTrans had was fought by self-proclaimed environmental nuts.”
But your own sources state that Miossi’s proposed a solution which ended up being very similar to what CalTrans eventually built.
Do you actually read what you cite?
“Nice anonymity, BTW. Try putting your reputation behind your mouth next post.”
Identities are unimportant. Well reasoned arguments are.
Yeah, several posts were deleted here.
I was hoping in this season of Peace on Earth and Goodwill To Men that I would not have become Big Brother but things spun out while I was enjoying a little Christmas vacation.
The Vault isn’t a bland Mr. Rogers Neighborhood but when arguments spiral into threats, ideas stop circulating and this space becomes a less inviting place for folks to join.
Have an opinion and have some fun but to quote The Dude: “This aggression will not stand man.”
Thanks for listening.
I would like to know if anyone has photos of the late Mr. Miossi inciting and partially causing accidents on the grade.
I love these photos from the vault. I remember that the final test after driver’s ed in high school was to drive up the Grade and down again. I think I sweated all the way, but made it. To this day, even in its widened state, I still hug the right lane as much as possible.
Did this accident lead to the median being added, or did that happen later?
I remember seeing a photograph of Cuesta Grade in the 1920s, and it showed a simple two-lane road not unlike Highway 58 or 46. If that was Highway 101 (or would eventually become it), when was it widened to four lanes?