Tollway Billboard a Freeway Eyesore

* How do you spell relief? N-O B-I-L-L-B-O-A-R-D-S!

I have long enjoyed the fact that I can drive on the San Diego Freeway through Orange County and not see any billboards.

Now it seems that things have changed. I can now see a bright electronic billboard that says “How Do You Spell Relief? T-O-L-L R-O-A-D,” advertising the San Joaquin Hills toll road. This is more than just an informational sign. This is an advertisement Las Vegas-style. What is next? A billboard with cigarette advertising on it?

The San Joaquin Hills toll road was a bitterly fought project from the start, carving through environmentally sensitive land. And any way you spin it, to this point in time, the toll road has not been profitable. Rather, it is losing money. And to add insult to injury, we now have to put up with ugly and distracting billboards. Beyond the terrible aesthetics, how much is this costing taxpayers?

M. ULLMAN

Irvine