By Chris Nichols: North County Times Posted: Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Transportation officials announced Wednesday that they plan to widen Interstate 5 along North County's coast by just four lanes ---- not six ---- marking a victory for local citizen and environmental groups that opposed what they dubbed "super-sized" options for expanding I-5.
For several years, the California Department of Transportation, along with federal officials, had considered three plans for widening the often traffic-choked interstate. The largest was a $4.5 billion expansion that would have added four express lanes, two regular lanes and concrete barriers separating the lanes from La Jolla to Camp Pendleton.
The decision to build only four express lanes (open to buses, carpools and drivers willing to pay a fee) reduces the project cost to $3.5 billion. It also cuts in half the number of homes and businesses slated for seizure and removal to make way for the project, Caltrans officials said.
As many as 60 properties remain eyed for removal under the smaller expansion, many in Carlsbad and Oceanside, officials said.
"It came down to a question of 'Is it worth it?' ... Was it worth these impacts and costs? We concluded it was not," said Allan Kosup, Caltrans' I-5 corridor director for the region.
"Clearly we heard a big concern about the size of the project," Kosup added, noting that the opposition from North County coastal residents "was certainly a piece of the puzzle" in deciding to limit the expansion.
Caltrans must still clear many hurdles, including obtaining a development permit from the California Coastal Commission, before the agency can widen the freeway.
Caltrans estimates the first phase of construction ---- a northbound and southbound express lane from Encinitas to Oceanside ---- could start as early as 2013.
Solana Beach Mayor Lesa Heebner, who strongly opposed the larger widening plans, said Caltrans' pick of the smallest option was a victory for environmental and mass-transit advocates.
She added it is "a real turning point for our region in that we're acknowledging there's a point where you can no longer build your way out of congestion. And we've reached that point."
"I think (Caltrans) saw the handwriting on the wall. I think they finally bowed to reality," said Steve Goetsch of Solana Beach, who organized much of the opposition to the plans through his citizens group, Committee Against Freeway Expansion.
Caltrans officials said legislation proposed by State Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, also factored into its decision.
Kehoe introduced a bill in February that, in its initial form, called for mass transit projects to be built before any further freeway expansion on I-5.
The bill was later softened considerably. It currently supports the expansion of the four express lanes as long as transit projects, such as the double-tracking of the coastal railway, proceed at the same time.
On Wednesday, Kehoe praised Caltrans' smaller expansion choice.
"This is a good solution," she said. "It provides for I-5 expansion in the narrowest right of way, reducing environmental impacts and saving homes."
Caltrans has maintained that the I-5 expansion is only part of its larger effort to improve mass transit and the environment along the coastal corridor.
Kosup, of Caltrans, noted that $400 million would be spent to add eight miles of a second coastal rail track during the first phase of freeway construction.
It has also pledged $200 million for natural resource preservation along the freeway.
Last year, the San Diego Association of Governments, the region's planning agency, endorsed plans for a six-lane freeway expansion for much of the project area.
Some leaders on its board of directors, which includes elected county and city leaders from across the region, had said they did not want to handcuff the project in any way.
"I don't feel like it's a loss," said Jerome Stocks, SANDAG's chairman and an Encinitas city councilman. He explained that the regular lanes nixed by Caltrans would not have been built for decades as part of the last phase of construction.
He added that drivers on I-5's regular lanes will benefit once the express lanes are built, even if they don't use them.
Stocks said carpools, buses and vanpools will leave the regular lanes, freeing up space for everyone else.
"Their congestion will improve," Stocks said.
NOTE: The terrible congestion, noise dirt, dust, pollution and mess will STILL be here with us for years as CalTrans digs, and lays miles of concrete along our western perimeter. The fight is long from over, folks.
No comments:
Post a Comment