PagesA $286.4 billion federal transportation bill approved by Congress includes more than $152 million for local projects ranging from the Sprinter commuter train to improvements on Escondido’s Bear Valley Parkway.
The bill also funds the work in progress adding more lanes to Interstate 15 between Escondido and Highway 163, the widening of Highway 76 between Oceanside and Bonsall, and interchange improvements at Interstate 5 and Highway 78; Completion of Poinsettia Lane in Carlsbad; and the commuter line, which will run between Oceanside and Escondido, now under construction and slated to open in December 2007.
All of these are desired improvements for the general North County area, but what many residents of La Costa and Carlsbad are concerned with is the I-5 itself. It doesn’t take greater than average reasoning skills to realize that the North County population is continuing to grow, and the current I-5 capacity level is remaining the same.
On July 13th the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce and the San Diego North Economic Development Council introduced Arturo Jacob, the CalTrans I-5 Project Manager for a Question/Answer session regarding the coming I-5 corridor improvements.
The I-5 project is currently slated to start construction in 2009, and take 5 to 7 years to complete. The some of the goals of the project are to:
- Reduce Congestion
- Protect and enhance the natural aesthetics of the corridor
- Sustain Travel times
Five to seven years of construction woes just to “sustain travel times” doesn’t sound like a great idea, but that is the condition of affairs with the growing population and the limited ability to create high traffic roads in the North County area. The adding of new lanes to the I-5 will also require that every over pass bridge will have to be rebuilt as well.
With all of this on the table, Arturo Jacob and many others in the community are attempting to come up with solutions to the growing traffic needs, in addition to tacking on new lanes, which will only allow us to maintain the current state of congestion.
Carpool lanes, or high-occupancy vehicle lanes are the most likely solution. There was some discussion over the use of these lanes by those that purchase special permits for their use as solo drivers. Recently a related pet project of U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista was approved, which allows solo drivers in hybrid vehicles to use lanes reserved for car pools. California lawmakers approved that last year but need to gain federal authorization.
“Allowing hybrid vehicles to use car-pool lanes rewards makers of innovative technology and consumers who choose to drive fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles,” Issa said.
Other ideas suggested limitations on the trucking industry, by creating a specific lane for trucks to use, or limiting the hours that trucks can make deliveries down the corridor. Both of these ideas, are uphill battles, Jacob said during the discussion, as they required changes in legislation which would face heavy resistance by several opponents, including the trucking industry.
Another point brought up by Rep Darrle Issa, is there are no Truck Stops in San Diego, and therefore, no place for the truckers to go during rush hour traffic. “Where do you want them to go?” Rep Darrle Issa asked, “Just pull off onto a residential street and park until after rush hour?”
In a more public forum, a few days previous, the idea of enticing people to live closer to where they work was brought up as a way to manage the growing traffic. The idea is sound, but affordable living in high commercial areas, such as downtown San Diego, or even downtown Escondido is scarce. As Gary Knight, president and chief executive of San Diego North Economic Development Council said, “out of every 100 people who go looking for a home [in North County], 80 will find one, and only 9 will be able to buy one”.
Another reason for the distance between home and work is that the average job lifespan at the same company has decreased over the years, and is often less than the time spent in the same home. It is suggested that many people do buy a home near their current work place. However, their work place often changes before their home does. Many buyers also take the opposite course of action, due to lack of affordable homes in the area of their work. For example many workers commuting to jobs in North County are buying homes as far away as Palm Springs.
Posted by Glenn Hefley in Example-News Story
