River Tollway: Imagine the Consequences

It was with disgust that I read of the privately financed Santa Ana River Viaduct tollway proposal and its approval by the state Department of Transportation. (“O.C. Gets Green Light for 2 New Toll Roads,” Sept. 15).

When you examine the impact of a toll freeway down the Santa Ana River, what you uncover is a case of who’s doing what to whom. Imagine what life would be like along the Santa Ana River with the tollway in place.

Don’t imagine cyclists, runners or equestrians using the Santa Ana River Trail. I was rather irritated by your front-page map that pictured 15-foot-wide bike and equestrian trails almost as if they were new features to be benevolently constructed as part of the tollway project.

These are extant trails with heavy daily use. I’m sure cyclists and runners would enjoy breathing increased auto emissions, to join the smell from wood-finishing factories and cement plants. I’m also sure that equestrians and cyclists would welcome both the visual and noise pollution from the sight of an elevated concrete expressway--the perfect antidote to a riverbed that is often bleak and cement lined. And I’m positive horses would react well to the noise from speeding cars and trucks. (When will the first rider be thrown?)

Don’t imagine golfers playing at River View Golf Course, one of the few public courses available in the Central County. It probably wouldn’t be there, since several of its holes cross the river. Why not just rip up the green space? You can’t drive on it.

Imagine business consortiums taking project attorney James Erickson’s words to heart: “If you want to get an off-ramp into your parking lot, there’s some value here. . . . We may be able to put an off-ramp into your parking lot. Do you want to pay for it?” Now imagine elevated off-ramps to, say, South Coast Plaza, Anaheim Stadium, The City, the large industrial parks near Harbor and MacArthur, maybe MainPlace, all bringing more noise and visual irritation.

Imagine these “special” on- and off-ramps in addition to those that might be constructed for, say, Garden Grove Boulevard, Warner Avenue, etc. And where will these on- and off-ramps go? Right over the heads of the bikers, runners and equestrians who will no doubt be asked to “enjoy the recreation space.”

Don’t imagine anyone using Centennial Regional Park or any of the several city parks along this stretch of the river, as inviting your family for an afternoon in the park will effectively mean an afternoon spent destroying villi and inducing headaches.

Don’t imagine property values increasing in the adjacent neighborhoods.

Do imagine the wicked social implication of the project. The residential neighborhoods that would be affected by the noise and pollution from the tollway are mostly in lower-income areas; many of their residents are Latinos and Southeast Asians.

But who benefits from the tollway idea? Mostly wealthy Anglo suburbanites who will floor their Acura Legends with glee back to their homes, most of which will be in Huntington Beach, Irvine, Fountain Valley, Placentia, etc.

Is this what we call a good response to air pollution and the greenhouse effect? Anyone with any respect for quality of life, neighborhoods or green space would try to block such a tollway. I know I will. Would it not be a far better idea to convert several more boulevards running north and south from the Anaheim Stadium area to “superstreet” status?

ERIC EBERWEIN

Huntington Beach