Letter of the Week

Arguments have been made that extending West 19th Street with a bridge

across the Santa Ana River to Huntington Beach will create additional

traffic and noise. This additional traffic and noise may adversely affect

some people living on or near West 19th Street.

But not extending West 19th Street to Huntington Beach will continue

the physical isolation of the area with the resulting economic stagnation

that has been the root cause of most of the Westside’s problems.

This adversely affects all people on the Westside and indeed

throughout the entire city of Costa Mesa.

The question needs to be asked, if West 19th Street were extended with

the bridge, what would the costs be versus the benefits? Could the direct

costs to a few people be minimized, allowing the majority to benefit from

the new shopping centers, upgraded roads, increased property values and

aesthetic improvements that would come with this connection to the beach?

Extending West 19th Street is a legitimate option that the city

presently has. This road extension is on the county’s master plan of

highways. A legal right of way exists from where 19th Street now ends and

extends across the Santa Ana River and through the property of the Orange

County Sanitation District to Brookhurst Street in Huntington Beach.

The city, under the direction of the Costa Mesa City Council, is

presently spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to get this extension

of 19th Street removed from the master plan of highways, all without

knowing what the real value of this option is to the people of Costa

Mesa.

If West 19th Street is removed from the master plan of highways, the

right of way through the sanitation district property will be removed and

no future Costa Mesa City Council will ever be able to reconsider this

connection to the beach.

Hopefully the new Costa Mesa City Council will have the courage, in

all the issues they address, including this one, to want to understand

the opportunities as well as the costs before they decide what is best

for the city.

ROBERT GRAHAM

Costa Mesa