Coastal panel backs Kehoe's 'transit first' bill in 11-1 vote
Originally published March 11, 2011 at 2:26 p.m., updated March 11, 2011 at 5:48 p.m.
DEL MAR — The California Coastal Commission gave a ringing 11-1 endorsement Thursday to a bill by Sen. Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) that would require all state coastal areas to build out their mass transit before widening major highways.
If the bill becomes law it will have major implications for the proposed expansion of Interstate 5 along the San Diego County coast, from Del Mar to Oceanside.
The state is proposing to build out I-5 to as many as 14 lanes, seven in each direction. The construction would be phased in over decades and could cost as much as $4.5 billion. CalTrans is expected to state its preferred option by the end of this summer.
Some backers of the I-5 project have said Kehoe's law would delay and possibly kill the expansion they say is needed to address congestion. Opponents of the expansion contend that, among other things, the project would not improve drive times enough to justify the cost.
The commission vote "illustrates the growing support for better transit options up and down the state,” said Kehoe, in a prepared statement. “Improved transit service costs less, lowers pollution, and reduces congestion."
According to Kehoe’s policy director Deanna Spehn, the commission asked that language be inserted into the bill that ties its goals to the existing law SB 375, which sets targets for reducing greenhouse gases and other pollution.
“I look forward to working with the Coastal Commission to include more specific references to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” the senator said.
A first rewriting of the bill is expected next week, said Spehn.
Other “tweaks” to the bill’s language, according to Spehn, will include a clarification of the transit options and a requirement that the state Department of Transportation base construction decisions on the most current Census figures.
The three-page bill also requires the state to study the impact of a highway expansion on local surface streets and to fund and build first any improvements to those roads. The state must also work with local agencies to ensure that any expansion is done “without compromising the unique features of the coastal zone.”
Spehn said that SB 468 will have the first of several Senate hearings in April. Should it survive a Senate vote in June, it would undergo a similar process in the House. All bills must be completed by Sept. 10 this year, after which the governor will have 30 days to dispose of them.
Courtesy of the San Diego Union Tribune
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