Overpass Proposal Draws Fire From Irvine Residents

A plan to make Irvine’s Yale Avenue an uninterrupted north-south thoroughfare by building two long-awaited vehicular overpasses will be facing opposition from residents when it comes before the City Council Tuesday night.

City planners say construction of the Yale overpasses--at the Santa Fe Railroad tracks in central Irvine and at the San Diego Freeway between the Village of Woodbridge and University Park--would reduce traffic on heavily traveled Culver Drive and Jeffrey Road.

Currently, overpasses at both locations are restricted to pedestrians and bicyclists. Because most of the city’s residential neighborhoods are situated between Culver and Jeffrey, those two roads carry the bulk of the city’s north-south traffic, particularly at peak commuter hours. Construction of the overpasses--and subsequent completion of Yale Avenue--would give the city a third north-south conduit through the heart of residential Irvine.

Opponents of the two-lane overpasses say that’s exactly the problem. They contend that the overcrossings would dramatically increase traffic, noise and pollution in central city neighborhoods because a continuous Yale Avenue would be an irresistible shortcut for commuters.

In July, Mayor Larry Agran and Councilman Ed Dornan wanted the overpass plans scrapped. But Council members C. David Baker, Ray Catalano and Sally Anne Miller voted to table the proposal for further study.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, city planners are recommending final approval of the railroad overpass. They also are seeking council acceptance of an environmental impact report on the overpass at the San Diego Freeway and council approval to seek state and federal funding for the project.

To accommodate an expected turnout of several hundred residents, the 6:30 p.m. council meeting has been moved from City Hall to the cafeteria at Fluor Corp. in the Park Place business complex, 3347 Michaelson Drive.

The two overpasses and the completion of Yale have been a part of the Irvine’s general plan since cityhood was achieved in 1967. Asst. City Manager Paul Brady said growth in central Irvine and congestion along Jeffrey and Culver has made it increasingly difficult for residents, as well as police and fire units, to travel between the village-style neighborhoods. He said a city-commissioned survey showed that an improved Yale would be used by local residents, not outsiders looking for a shortcut through the city.

Figures Challenged

City planners say about 10,000 vehicles a day would use the overpass at the railroad tracks south of Walnut Avenue. Currently, about 41,000 to 42,000 cars a day use Culver and 27,000 to 28,000 use Jeffrey. The completion of Yale would reduce traffic on both streets by a combined total of 3,000 to 4,000 cars a day, according to city planners. To build the overpasses will cost about $3 million, which would come from the city’s share of state and federal gas tax monies.

Opposition to the proposal has been led by Charles Dreyfuss, founder and president of CAUTION--Citizens Against Unsafe Traffic In Our Neighborhoods. He said the group’s own private traffic survey shows that the city has “grossly” underestimated the number of cars that would use Yale if the overpasses are built.

Based on the number of cars using the Yale overpass at the Santa Ana Freeway, he estimated at least 13,000 cars a day would cross the railroad overpass.

“This is not a growth issue, but a safety and quality-of-life issue,” Dreyfuss said.

He said his group would support building an overpass at the railroad tracks for emergency vehicles only. Otherwise, he said he believes the city should concentrate on improving traffic flow on existing roads, such as Culver and Jeffrey.