Op-Ed: Rail critique was early and short-sighted
Today, many Californians would be astounded to learn that the Golden Gate Bridge was almost never built. The project faced thousands of lawsuits and detractors, including the great photographer Ansel Adams, who said that it would mar the beauty of the San Francisco Bay. Obviously the project moved forward and the bridge is now not only a beautiful icon, but necessary for transportation in and around the Bay Area.
Almost 100 years later, it’s become standard fare to engender opposition to any project, but especially toward large and transformative transportation projects. Last month, this newspaper called on the California High-Speed Rail Authority to abandon a proposed high-speed rail alignment in their editorial titled, “Rail tunnel proposal is not the best solution.” Unfortunately, this commentary omitted several facts that are important for the public to know. Most important is that the Authority is still in the preliminary stages of conducting environmental studies for the Palmdale-to-Burbank Project Section, and that no alignments have been selected. There are two proposed corridors for the 35- to 45-mile project section that would connect the Palmdale Transportation Center to the Burbank Airport Station via high-speed rail. One alignment runs along Highway 14, near the communities of Acton-Agua Dulce and Santa Clarita.
Due to the feedback from those communities and other stakeholders, the Authority began studying an East Corridor alignment which would tunnel hundreds and even thousands of feet under the Angeles National Forest. This alignment would not disturb the pristine natural forest area or damage the flora and fauna of one of California’s greatest urban habitats.
But it wasn’t just local comments and concerns that encouraged us to look at this option. We evaluated international experiences as well. In fact, this type of large-scale tunneling has proved successful in high-speed rail projects around the world, including the Guadarrama Tunnel in Spain and the Taihang Tunnel in China.
The Japanese, who invented high-speed rail and lead the industry in safety and efficiency, are now completing a 33-mile tunnel (Seikan Tunnel) for the Shinkansen system. In Switzerland, plans are in place for the 35-mile long Gotthard Base Tunnel through the Swiss Alps. We should also remember that the famous “Chunnel” from England to France is 31-miles long. These examples remind us that tunneling is not new, and tunneling to the level we are evaluating at has been done in a way that brings down costs, shortens trip times and reduces impacts on communities along the route.
We understand there will always be an immediate response to proposed infrastructure alignments, and by necessity the initial proposals involve a wide range of potential options. However, both legally and morally, it is important to look at all alternatives before coming to a conclusion. The Authority has demonstrated its commitment to a rigorous environmental study process by producing two of the most thorough environmental documents in the state’s history for the Central Valley segment.
The same will hold true in Southern California, as the public will be given ample opportunity to provide feedback and shape the ultimate alignment so that it reduces impacts wherever possible. We are still on track to bring high-speed rail to the San Fernando Valley by 2022, which gives us time to analyze and weigh all our options so that we can select an alignment that is best for all those that are affected.
California’s High-Speed Rail Authority is charged with building the best possible high-speed rail system for the state. Our commitment to the San Fernando Valley is to maximize the benefits of high-speed rail, while minimizing the impacts to communities, the environment, and our precious natural wildlife. To continue that commitment, we have to look at all alignments along the way. To do otherwise at the behest of affected property owners would not only be unfair, but could compromise the ultimate utility and efficiency of the system as a whole.
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DAN RICHARD is the chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board.