Tollway Construction Mishap Goes on Contractor’s Bill

Dear Street Smart:

Recently I was traveling south on Interstate 5 near the Avery offramp in Mission Viejo and was noticing all of the construction work going on for the corridor project.

To my right, I was astonished to see a large crane demolishing a brand-new, perfectly good, huge concrete and steel support pillar that was to support one of the freeway segments, I believe. This column has others like it, also free-standing, nearby, and they have not been demolished.

As I recall, these support columns were among the first structures built during the initial phases of the project.

My question is: Was this a goof, or was the column built in the first place to be demolished at this stage? It looked like a huge goof.

Whose screw-up was this and who ultimately must pay for it?

I hope Orange County taxpayers won’t have to foot the bill.

Robert Wallace

Laguna Niguel

Yes, it was an accident, and no, taxpayers will not have to pay the price--which, by the way, came to about $200,000.

Gene Foster, project manager for the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency, said the column was one of 11 built to hold up a portion of that toll road. But during construction of that particular column, he said, a tie broke, causing the structure’s steel skeleton to bend slightly to one side. Thinking the problem was too minor to delay completion, a contractor went ahead and covered the bent steel cage with concrete.

Inspectors for the agency, which is overseeing the project, however, disagreed. They made the contractor tear down the column and rebuild it at his own expense.

“We have promised our bondholders that our corridor would be designed to a higher earthquake standard” than that required by the state, Foster said. “I’m not sure that this was a goof. It wasn’t an active mistake, just something that happened.”

Dear Street Smart:

Somebody is lying to me.

As I approach the freeway, I see a flashing sign saying “meter on.” As I proceed up the onramp, I see that traffic is light. At the end of the onramp is a solid green light with a sign on it saying “one car per green.” The car ahead of me proceeds onto the freeway, so [do] I . . . stop?

Bruce Borden

Tustin

No. If the light is resting on green, you are supposed to ignore the “one car per green” sign, “just like going through a green signal at an intersection,” said James Arceneaux, a Caltrans engineer.

The “meter on” sign, by the way, is not lying. The meter is on; it’s just directing the light to rest on green, because detectors embedded in the pavement are showing traffic is light.

When traffic is heavy, the meters rest on red and the “one car per green” signs are in effect.

Dear Street Smart:

Could you answer several questions regarding the new FasTrak system on the Riverside Freeway?

The roadway was built with private funds. How was the right-of-way secured, purchased, leased or given by the state?

The revenue from the tolls--are they shared with the state, or merely taxed?

Finally, the carpool lane requires three passengers, unlike the other carpool lanes in Southern California [which require two]. Is this a concession to the FasTrak organization?

Rod Halphide

Yorba Linda

The carpool lane requires a minimum of three people per car as part of a compromise between the toll road operator and various government agencies.

The agencies wanted the toll road to include a free lane for carpoolers. The operator agreed, but only if cars with three or more people would be allowed to use it.

As to the other part of your question, the company leased the right-of-way from the state for a nominal fee for 35 years, after which all rights revert back to California.

And to protect the public interest and prevent price gouging, the state required that, except under certain provisions, any profits exceeding 17% of the company’s $126-million investment be turned over for state and local highway improvement.

Also, of course, California will tax the income at the usual rate.

Street Smart appears Mondays in The Times Orange County Edition. Readers are invited to submit comments and questions about traffic, commuting and what makes it difficult to get around in Orange County. Include simple sketches if helpful. Letters might be published in upcoming columns. Please write to David Haldane, c/o Street Smart, The Times Orange County, P.O. Box 2008, Costa Mesa, CA 92626; fax him at (714) 966-7711; or e-mail him at David.Haldane@latimes.com. Include your full name, address and day and evening phone numbers. Letters might be edited, and no anonymous letters will be accepted.