Support for CenterLine Grows, Business Group Survey Says

Showing a significant increase in support since last year, 69% of Orange County residents surveyed said they favor a proposed light-rail system linking John Wayne Airport and the Santa Ana train station, according to a survey released this week.

But nearly half the respondents said they were unfamiliar with the project.

“I think traffic is starting to creep up again as a major concern,” said Julie Puentes, executive vice president of the Orange County Business Council, which questioned 579 randomly selected residents in conjunction with Cal State Fullerton’s Center for Public Policy. “Because mobility is becoming a major issue, motorists are looking for solutions, and they see transit as an option for the county which we need to embrace.”

The survey, conducted in July, was the first to be published since the Orange County Transportation Authority’s board of directors killed a proposal that same month to place an advisory measure on the November ballot allowing county residents to vote on the CenterLine rail project. OCTA has approved the $1-billion project.

A survey last year showed 55% of the respondents supported CenterLine. “This really shows that the people in Orange County are confronting some of the problems created by congestion and growth,” said Arthur T. Leahy, OCTA’s chief executive officer.

Despite the show of support, about half of the respondents in both surveys said they were not familiar with CenterLine, a press release said. Only after having it explained in the survey did the majority express support.

The project would cover 9.3 miles through Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Irvine.

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Times staff writer Dan Weikel contributed to this report.