Mission Trails in Highway Path : Make Noise Over Threat to Quiet Park

The proposed extension of California 52 from Tierrasanta to Santee has caused a stir, mainly over the struggle to obtain funds for the project and the forced relocation of hundreds of households in the highway’s path. But virtually nothing has been said about how the roadway will degrade Mission Trails Regional Park.

At more than 5,000 acres, the park stands as the last sizable expanse of natural open space in metropolitan San Diego. It is a magnificent sanctuary for all San Diegans who seek to escape the rat race of the city, the crowds, noise and pollution. Though only 20 minutes from downtown, secluded reaches of the park seem a world away from the urban scene--steep mountains, canyons, wildlife and wildflowers abound, and in places it’s so quiet you can hear a butterfly’s wings beat.

But roads threaten the stillness. California 52 would cut a wide swath across the northern boundary of the park, and an extension of Jackson Drive would slice southward from the highway, along a park ridge, to connect with Mission Gorge Road and a further extension of Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. Traffic noise generated by these roads would shatter peace and quiet in the most remote areas of the park. The din--as well as visual pollution of vehicles racing by, road-cut scars, and exhaust fumes--would diminish the prime value of the park as a peaceful setting for outdoor recreation.

Caltrans’ environmental impact statement acknowledges the noise problem, loss of open space, visual pollution and adverse impacts upon native plants and wildlife. (The park serves as an important refuge for numerous species whose habitats have been destroyed by developments in surrounding areas.) Caltrans claims, unconvincingly, that mitigation measures can reduce the damage.

To maintain the integrity of the park, California 52 should be rerouted northward over vacant Navy land, in a wide arc around the park’s northern boundary. This land is not included in the city’s recent West Fortuna Mountain purchase agreement. Additional road-building costs and the Navy’s reluctance to grant right-of-way make this route “unfeasible.” But with the priceless solitude and seclusion of the park at stake, Caltrans and the Navy should reconsider this option.

Meanwhile, a slick lobbying group called Community Alliance for Road Safety (CARS) solicits general taxpayer monies for its local pet road projects. CARS wants $25 million for the Jackson Drive extension “to reduce traffic on our residential streets.”

Unfortunately, skyrocketing population growth in our area makes traffic congestion inevitable. According to recent figures compiled by the Chamber of Commerce Economic Research Bureau, San Diego is now the fastest-growing metropolis in the nation, and projections indicate that a million more residents will crowd county roadways over the next two decades. At best, the Jackson Drive extension would only ease congestion for a short time. But it would ruin an invaluable stretch of dedicated open space parkland for all time.

CARS points out that the Jackson Drive extension is already included in the Mission Trails Regional Park Master Plan. Yes, it is, but as a proposal only, not locked in concrete. The master plan also notes that public attitudes and sensitivities will dictate revisions in the plan.

What can the general public do to protect its park from despoliation by noisy roads? Use the mailbox and voting box:

- Write to the local Caltrans and Navy officials. Ask them to work together to reroute California 52 north of the park.

- Write to the mayor, council members and supervisors. Ask them to reject the costly, environmentally damaging Jackson Drive extension. (The continued widening of Mission Gorge Road, and a proposed connection of Princess View Drive to Tierrasanta Boulevard, can help reduce congestion in the area, as can flex hours, ride sharing and expanded regional transit service).

- Vote NO on Proposition A, the sales tax increase for road projects. Proposition A earmarks $25 million for the Jackson Drive extension and millions more forseveral other dubious projects. The proposition also includes many worthwhile projects that can be funded in a future ballot measure, perhaps using a more equitable gas tax rather than a sales tax.

As San Diego’s dwindling open spaces continue to be gobbled up by housing tracts and shopping centers, the peaceful, undeveloped acres of Mission Trails Regional Park become more precious than ever. Let’s not allow roads to be bulldozed through the last of the silence.