Effort On to Ease Traffic as Freeway Is Widened

Most any day, traffic along California 78, the four-lane freeway that spans North County from Oceanside through Escondido, is jampacked.

Now, that irksome congestion stands to get worse, as work begins in the next few weeks on an ambitious, three-year project to expand the highway to six lanes.

But help is in sight.

The federal Urban Mass Transportation Administration has awarded a $1.2-million grant to spotlight ways to ease traffic woes during construction and into the years beyond.

Traffic Plan Options

Under the project, employers along the busy freeway will be asked to implement workday options to help reduce the number of trips by workers during peak commuting hours, alternative routes around construction congestion will be advocated and the increased use of van pools and shuttle busses will be explored.

The effort is being spearheaded by the nonprofit North County Transportation Coalition, a private-sector group of local leaders eager to find solutions to the region’s mounting traffic woes.

A board composed of coalition members and representatives of the chambers of commerce from cities along the highway will run the program, with administrative help provided by the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce.

As part of the effort, the group wants to establish a radio network to provide continuing broadcasts about alternative routes during construction, to recommend the best hours to drive and to promote ride-sharing programs.

“There’s a lot of capacity in the traffic system, it’s just that we all want to use it at once,” said John Duve, a Sandag transportation

expert involved in the project. “If we want to avoid spending billions of dollars, then we’ll have to find ways to ensure we don’t all show up on the same roadway at the same time.”

Among the ideas is to have employees occasionally work out of their homes to save a trip on the freeway. Firms would also be asked to voluntarily stagger work hours so that employees are on the freeway at different times.

The feasibility of subscription buses and van pools will be explored, as will shuttle-bus service in commercial areas along the freeway. The proposals will presented to companies in the area.

“This program will bring the private sector right to the table in terms of providing input into the solutions to our transportation problems,” Duve said. “These are the people who sit in traffic, who are bumper to bumper, so they’re in an excellent position to provide input.”

Similar efforts are under way in downtown San Diego and in the Golden Triangle of north San Diego. If successful, authorities hope the programs can serve as models.

With work to begin soon along California 78, officials hope that motorists and employers will be ready to take part in the effort, Duve said.

Moreover, Duve said he hopes the effort will not die after the highway widening is finished.

“The intention is that it will be an ongoing program,” Duve said. “After the grant money runs out, we’ll need to look at picking up other funds to keep the program running.”