Veto of Road Bill Affects 78 Widening

Among the projects affected by President Reagan’s veto Friday of an $88-billion federal highway spending bill is a plan to widen traffic-choked California 78 from four to six lanes in North County.

If Congress fails to override the presidential veto, it could prove a serious blow to plans to widen the highway, according to area lawmakers. “If we don’t get past this veto, we’ll be back to Square One,” said Yvonne Murchison, district coordinator for Rep. Ron Packard (R-Carlsbad), who shepherded the California 78 project through the House of Representatives.

Packard had managed to get $15 million for California 78 included in the massive bill as part of a package of so-called demonstration projects that Reagan labeled as examples of “pork-barrel politics.”

Murchison said Packard “is still confident” that both the House and Senate can muster the votes to override Reagan’s veto. The House approved the highway bill, which includes a provision for raising the speed limit to 65 m.p.h., by a 407-17 vote. The Senate approved it 79-17.

Reagan, in vetoing the bill, called on Congress to offer up a slimmed-down version. The President did not, however, specify which demonstration projects should be slashed.

17 Miles to Be Widened

The federal money for California 78 would have helped pay the estimated $30-million cost of widening the highway along a 17-mile stretch meandering from Oceanside to Escondido.

Once a relatively uncrowded route, the highway has in recent years become the busiest in North County. The number of cars using California 78 has skyrocketed as development has boomed in the area.

On a typical weekend, more than 80,000 cars jam the highway. According to officials with the San Diego Assn. of Governments, that number is likely to climb to 112,000 by the year 2005.

Under plans being formulated by Packard and local officials, the state would pay half of the remaining $15 million of the project’s cost, while San Diego County and the cities of Escondido, San Marcos, Vista, Oceanside and Carlsbad would come up with the rest.