San Joaquin Hills Traffic Corridor

I feel compelled to alert the public to the misunderstanding of the ability of the San Joaquin Hills transportation corridor to alleviate traffic.

In a Jan. 19, 1986, article in The Times, there is a map that shows that, when originally planned, the corridor (which would be 8 to 12 lanes wide and free of cost) would be filled up 73% by new homes alone. Well, now the corridor is to be only 4 lanes and it’s going to be a toll road. This will actually add traffic, not alleviate it.

Also, in the areas where these toll roads connect onto Interstates 5 and 405, what will occur? It will just be connecting gridlocks with additional traffic. But this is the only method that the big developers and the county can come up with to “mitigate” the traffic they will create with their thousands of homes and commercial development.

And taxpayers are to consider footing most of the bill and the new homeowners get slapped additionally with paying the developers’ “road improvement” costs? No thanks! How about rail, or other alternatives, including the Citizens’ Sensible Growth and Traffic Control Initiative?

MARIELLE LEEDS

Laguna Beach