Intersection of Central Ave and Pierce St

Whether I’m in a car or a bus, this intersection blows.
It’s a confluence of vehicles trying to get onto and off of 80, trying to get onto and off of 580, trying to get into and out of the parking lot of 99 Ranch on Pierce, trying to get to and from Costco, residents trying to get to and from their homes on Pierce, … all from a narrow 2-​lane stretch westbound from Central and a 1-​lane coming from the other direction.
Whenever we need to get on 80, we make a 180 and take the Buchanan exit instead of Central, even though Central is much closer. Otherwise we risk at least a 15-​minute wait as the lights at this intersection really only allows about 5 – 7 cars through from either direction. Traffic can back up for blocks on either end. It’s worse on the weekends and during commute hours.
We make a point to tell people to use the Buchanan Street exit to get to our place. And we tell them to use it to go back.
We’ll be gone by the time they ever construct any changes here. But until then, we avoid this intersection as much as we can.