O.C. Would Just Be Stuck in Traffic Without Measure M

As I travel in and around the county, I am often asked why so much of Orange County’s transportation system seems to be under construction. It’s a fair question since the Orange County Transportation Authority is spending more than $1.2 million per day on transportation improvements. While that translates into more construction, I would hate to think where we would be without Measure M, the half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements.

Before voter approval of Measure M in 1990, Orange County faced a bleak transportation future. During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, Orange County was one of the fastest-growing areas in the country. The county’s population almost doubled, yet funding for transportation improvements remained minimal. In fact, between 1966 and 1990, Orange County received only enough funds to complete two freeway projects in the entire county. The projects were to extend the Orange Freeway to connect with the Santa Ana Freeway and the construction of a mere two miles of the Corona Del Mar Freeway.

That’s not a misprint. We gained more than a million people and little was done to expand the freeway system because of the shortfall of state transportation funds. Twenty-five years of growth in the 1970s and 1980s relied on a transportation system that was designed to meet the needs of the 1950s and 1960s. Not surprisingly, our rush hour grew to consume more than half the day.

Orange County voters finally took matters into their own hands and approved a solution in 1990 that is making it possible for us to address the transportation needs of today as well as the future.

The investment made by voters in approving Measure M is now paying dividends. The El Toro Y went from being the county’s worst bottleneck into a 26-lane engineering marvel bringing north and south Orange County closer together. The Orange Freeway has an additional lane in each direction, and the Santa Ana, Riverside and Costa Mesa freeways are currently in the process of being improved--all thanks to Measure M. Commuters are packing Metrolink trains, and cities are using Measure M revenues to widen streets and make other local transportation improvements.

It’s all made possible by the detailed expenditure plan approved by voters when they cast their ballots in favor of Measure M. More than $3 billion is being raised through the year 2011. The money is being used to build a balanced transportation system, with 42% of the revenue going to improve freeways, 33% being used to improve city streets and 25% paying for better transit.

So what can we expect in the near future?

The immediate answer is more construction, but we should look at it as short-term aggravation for long-term satisfaction. Within two years, the construction crews on the Santa Ana and the Riverside freeways will be gone, and we will forget about how we used to sit in traffic jams on both of those freeways.

I admit that won’t be the end of the construction; we will also see more work on the Costa Mesa Freeway, the San Diego and Costa Mesa interchange and eventually the Garden Grove Freeway. Once again, we might curse the construction crews while it happens, but we will be thrilled by what they accomplish in a relatively short period of time. All of these freeway improvements have been made possible through a partnership with Caltrans and in cooperation with Orange County cities.

Another mode of transportation being considered by the OCTA board and staff is the construction of a light-rail system in central Orange County. A planning and engineering study is currently underway for a system between Fullerton and Irvine designed to provide needed mobility and economic benefits. A decision could be made by year’s end.

We all should be encouraged by this bright transportation future, because we made the needed investment collectively.

The bottom line is that Measure M is working. Every project has been completed on time and within or under budget. As chairman of the Orange County Transportation Authority, I intend to continue that impressive track record, whether it happens to be a freeway project or perhaps a new rail system. Orange County will enter the 21st century with a state-of-the-art transportation system that only will improve as we continue to prosper.

And, the next time you have to slow down because of roadwork, I would ask that you greet the nearest construction worker with a smile rather than exasperation or choice words. Yes, the construction delays are a hassle, but they are signs of a better tomorrow that is under temporary construction.