Some of us are old enough to remember when the three-lane Pasadena Freeway was opened, to great fanfare. State and local officials declared it a marvel of engineering that would usher in a new life of independence. We could travel anywhere, at any time, as fast as the law would allow.
Many of us even remember when the San Diego Freeway didn’t reach San Diego. And, then, when it finally did, officials assured us that the “new” Interstates 405 and 5 would be wide enough to accommodate all the cars that would ever drive here.
Well, so much for the myopic freeway engineers of yesteryear!
Today, those engineers, or their sons and daughters, are back, and they are once again planning changes for the I-405, this time from the 73 to the 605.
These changes will take the form of one of three alternatives. Depending upon your personal point of view, and bank account, these “improvements” can best be described as “helpful” or “downright harmful.” But this time, you will have some control over what form these changes will eventually take. As long as you take the initiative
Here are the basics of the change options: Alternative One: add one general-purpose lane in each direction. The current freeway footprint will accommodate this expansion.
Alternative Two: Add two general purpose lanes. This will require pushing portions of the sound wall into College Park East, not a good thing if you happen to live where 10 feet of your street’s width will suddenly disappear, along with bike paths and parking spaces.
Alternative Three. Add one regular lane, but then convert the current carpool lane into a so-called Express lane — in reality, a toll lane that will cost the driver a-yet-undetermined amount of money to use. And then add another toll lane right next to it.
Yes, you read that correctly: the free-to-use-with-a-passenger carpool lane disappears, replaced by two toll lanes that you have already paid for with your taxes, and will have to pay for again every time you use it. (Oops, are my personal feelings showing?) By the way, this alternative also requires shoving that soundwall into College Park East.
Northbound, the Alternative Three toll lanes will end at the 605, since the county of Los Angeles has no plans to expand the 405 anytime soon. (A conservative estimate is 15 years before their freeway width will match our freeway width.)
If you typically drive solo, and never use a diamond or HOV lane, and have gotten a bigger hike in your Social Security check than I have, then you might not mind the convenience of being able to pay to use one of the toll roads when driving south.
Otherwise, your choices are limited to Alternatives One and Two.
Personally, I like Alternative Two: since they are tearing up the freeway anyway to add one lane, they might as well add two lanes at the same time, almost for the same price, relatively speaking.
But I don’t like having the sound wall intrude into College Park East.
The city of Seal Beach, working with outside consultants, has produced some engineering options that would allow for the freeway expansion without having to move the soundwall. City staff, Councilman Miller and I presented these options to CalTrans, OCTA and some of our State legislators last week in Sacramento.
It would be an understatement to say our engineering proposals were welcomed by CalTrans less enthusiastically than a frothing pitbull at a nursery school.
Oh, well, guess I need to give this some more thought.
But if you’ve made up YOUR mind, here’s what you can do to let “them” know how you feel.
According to OCTA, you may e-mail your choice of the three alternatives, to 405dedcomments@Parsons.com.
Or, if you feel that putting pen to paper is still the most effective way to communicate, send your comments to Smita Deshande at CalTrans District 12, 2201 Dupont Dr., #200, Irvine, CA 92612.
However, I have a problem with these two agencies being the recipients of your thoughts.
They both have vested interests in developing these freeway “improvements.” CalTrans exists to build roadways; the bigger the project, the more secure the employment. Same thing with the Parsons Company. This is a highly respected international corporation—that stands to make millions from this project.
Therefore, if your opinion is to not build at all—think of it as Alternative Four, or just build the least costly Alternative One, then I suppose it is possible that a response in favor of the biggest, most expensive alternative just might make it to the top of the pile, while yours gets buried.
Therefore, I am going to send my opinions to the Directors of the OCTA Board. County Supervisor John Moorlach is my representative, and yours, and is probably the most honest and trustworthy elected official I know.
You may e-mail him with your opinions at: district2@ocgov.com.
Where ever and however you express yourself, don’t hold back; tell ‘em what you think, and why you think it.
You can even tell them you don’t want any construction at all, that the current Connectors project linking the diamond lanes of the 405, 605 and 22 freeways has already pushed your patience into the red zone, and any further disruption of the freeways is going to send you over the edge.
Remember, these are your freeways. You’ve paid for them.
You have a right to your opinion about how they do or do not get developed!
Michael Levitt is the mayor of Seal Beach.
