Pros and Cons

The draft Environmental Impact Report is not yet available for review,

but here are some perceived benefits and feared consequences of building

a bridge at 19th Street.

PROS

-- The bridge might alleviate the need to widen Pacific Coast Highway.

-- It would provide another east-west corridor for growing regional

traffic.

-- It would raise property values by providing direct access to the

beach.

-- It would help revitalize the West Side by bringing the traffic needed

for a thriving commercial boulevard.

CONS

-- The bridge would bring streams of traffic into quiet residential

neighborhoods.

-- It would lower property values by making homes less livable.

-- It would turn Costa Mesa into a “cut-through” city.

-- It could have profound consequences for the environment, particularly

in the area of the Santa Ana riverbed.