While bus transit is ransacked, OCTA begins plans to widen the 12-lane 405 freeway
Talk about priorities.
OCTA recently sent out an email soliciting feedback for yet another freeway widening project, the I-405. They're asking for help with "transportation alternatives to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion along the 14-mile stretch of freeway between the San Joaquin Toll Road (SR-73) and the San Gabriel River Freeway (I-605)."
Their most recent presentation indicates that, to meet existing and future demand, they would like to expand the existing 12-lane freeway to 20 lanes, something Texas would be proud of.
Unfortunately, the only options they're going ahead with lack any sort of public transit component. Damien Newton at Streetsblog LA writes, "The four alternatives are basically a one-lane widening in each direction, a two lane widening in each direction, a two-lane widening that would be one HOT Lane and one general purpose lane, and just widening parts of the 405 in Orange County as funding allows. No mention of trains, buses, bus-only lanes, or anything of the sort appear anywhere inside the Register's article or on the OCTA's project page."
Now, to be fair, OCTA has some transit connections between the Long Beach-Seal Beach area and Costa Mesa, but OCTA has some very shoddy options. They have an express bus that travels only a few times a day and makes very few stops, and Route 1 that travels only once an hour on weekends.
The lack of decent public transit options — coupled with Orange County's poor transportation planning and an uninformed public mandating this freeway project — makes the I-405 freeway widening project a short-sighted waste of taxpayer funds. Traffic is effectively so bad because there are no transit options!
You can do something about this. You can ask OCTA at their public outreach meetings to, instead of widening the I-405, do a better, more cost-effective project, such as replacing or adding I-405 lanes for bus rapid transit. Click here for a list of meetings. Here's a map of the widening project:
More coverage here:
- What's the best way to widen the 405? StreetsBlog LA says this project is going the wrong direction and promoting even worse traffic.
- How would you improve traffic on the I-405? Many commenters on the Register are demanding a public transit option.
- OCTA's I-405 widening project page
Comments
405 widening
Let’s stop this boondoggle before it goes any further. The last Orange County freeway widening resulted in the spending of a lot of money but within month’s traffic was back to what it was before the widening and supper interchanges started. The future is in moving people not moving more cars. The funding needs to be used on alternatives including expanding MetroLink service and lines, building new LRT lines and other people oriented ways to travel which is not our family car all of the time especially when commenting. More pavement and freeways are not the answer. And to top this off they want us “tax payers” who are paying for this boondoggle are now going to pay to build toll lanes for privet companies to profit from the tolls. Let them pay to build their for profit lanes. This whole thing is not needed and should go no further before billions are spent just to tell us that we really do need this before any dirt is moved.
They need to take cars off of
They need to take cars off of the road, not put more of them onto it. This smog filled basin demands it. This will also clog up surface streets like Beach Blvd, especially bad in summertime already. And on top of that, they want to spend $2 billion on this project. $2 billion could easily pay for a light rail system. We want a light rail in West Orange County, along Beach Blvd from the beach to Disneyland, and connections at Beach & 405 that goes to LA County and beyond.
this and 57...even 5
this and 57...even 5 widening...were all promoted as unbalanced transportation supported by corporate interests to the disadvantage of those who need mobility.
Agree with some commentors
Agree with some commentors here. There are too much cars on the road and LRT should be built instead to reduce the traffics and also help to reduce the air pollution.
I agree as well. If there was
I agree as well. If there was asome kind of a light rail connecting from Santa Ana / Irvine area connecting to the Long Beach Blue Line or the I-105 green line, that would prolly take some cars off the road.
How about extending the 701 ( Downtown LA - Huntington Bch ) from Goldenwest Transit Center all the way to South Coast Mall or somewhere in the Irvine area ? Ad more trips during the day & Promote the line with billboards or advertisements in the newspaper...just a thought !
Against This!
I think widening the freeway is totally stupid. Really. Please post links for official, online protest (I cannot attend the OCTA meetings).