Forget the Name; Build the Freeway
The article “What’s in a Freeway’s Name? To officials, It’s Disagreement” (Southeast / Long Beach sections, Aug. 2) was both interesting and right on the mark.
The 14-year history of the construction of the Century Freeway has been “disagreement.” Who will ever forget the former state transportation chief Adriana Gianturco and her “Cloud Nine” boss, former Gov. Jerry Brown? And as if their shiftless attitude had not been enough of a problem, in April of 1983, when construction was progressing, the California Department of Transportation halted work on the project in Lynwood because the contractor directing the work had been accused of violating state-mandated affirmative action standards.
All in all, the building of the Century Freeway has been the perfect example of the law of bureaucracy: “The more time you spend in reporting on what you are doing, the less time you have to do anything. Stability is achieved when you spend all your time doing nothing but reporting on the nothing you are doing.”
So, we really don’t care what name is given the Century Freeway when it is finally completed. We just hope it is finally completed.
R.C. (BOB) TRIMBLE
Lakewood
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