Finding middle ground for bridge construction

Costa Mesa leaders’ “compromise” on the Santa Ana River bridge issue

is myopic and violates the original agreements regarding the Santa

Ana Rivers Crossing process. They are demanding that Fountain Valley

widen Ellis Ave, widen Talbert Avenue and add an additional

south-bound freeway onramp to the San Diego Freeway in Fountain

Valley. Their solution to regional traffic growth is to dump all of

the impacts on their neighbors, regardless of practicality or

impacts. In exchange, Costa Mesa won’t insist that the Master Plan of

Arterial Highways immediately delete long-proposed bridges.

By contrast, the Orange County Transportation Authority’s

compromise considers all parties. They have grudgingly supported

limited additional study on the practicality and impacts of a

potential Garfield-Gisler bridge. Under the California Environmental

Quality Act, this study legally must also consider the alternatives

proposed by Costa Mesa. This new environmental report will be

performed in conjunction with studies on the San Diego Freeway and

the proposed extension of the Orange Freeway to the San Diego Freeway

above our only major flood control channel. Rather than allowing

Fountain Valley to incorporate bias, the lead agency on this study

will be OCTA, allowing all cities and local agencies to participate

fully. OCTA has denied requests for funding for further design or

construction of any bridges until the next phase of studies yields

its results.

It’s critically important that evaluation of all of these

congestion-relief projects be coordinated with the construction and

planning of the billions of dollars in capital improvements at the

Orange County Sanitation District and Orange County Water District

facilities in Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach. These facilities

provide sewage treatment for 2.3 million people, reclamation of

wastewater and injection systems to protect our groundwater basin

from saltwater intrusion. In this geographical area, all planning has

to be in four dimensions instead of two, considering both the massive

multiple sewer and water lines (up to nine feet wide) and the

additional construction planned to achieve full secondary treatment

and the $500-million Ground Water Replenishment System.

I also consider it vital that the seismic, flood control, and

environmental impacts of any of these proposed projects be

exhaustively evaluated.

GUS AYER

Fountain Valley

* EDITOR’S NOTE: Gus Ayer is a member of the Fountain Valley City

Council.