Over the river and through South Coast Metro

Bumper-to-bumper traffic, horns, flashing brake lights, grid lock and

cold dinners have been on the minds of Newport-Mesa politicians and

residents in recent weeks as monumental projects such as “the

bridges” and CenterLine have made headlines again.

From Newport Beach’s official stance to endorse the controversial

bridges over the Santa Ana River to yet another cut to the proposed

CenterLine route, city leaders like Costa Mesa Councilwoman Libby

Cowan have continued to evaluate the pros and cons of each.

Cowan has been a long time opponent of the bridges at 19th Street

and Gisler Avenue and a longtime opponent of the county wide

CenterLine light rail system. Each are designed by the Orange County

Transportation Authority to alleviate some of the traffic choking

local arterials.

While the plans call for county cooperation, both projects have

splintered political lines and pit neighboring cities on opposing

sides.

Columnist Lolita Harper spoke with Cowan about major these major

transportation issues to see what the reputed straight-talking

councilwoman had to say.

What was your initial reaction when you heard that Newport Beach

made a formal resolution to support a bridge at 19th Street, which

would cross the Santa Ana River, connecting Costa Mesa to Huntington

Beach?

I was certainly disappointed, but not surprised. Newport has often

taken lone action that impacts other cities, such as stopping the

Costa Mesa Freeway before it enters Newport Beach [it was originally

planned to connect to Coast Highway], removing the once existing

Pacific Coast Freeway from the Master Plan of Arterial Highways and

even the John Wayne Airport Settlement Agreement. As an aside, during

the recent JWA extension talks, it was only the insistence of Costa

Mesa that brought in the political powers of the corridor cities to

help keep the extension plan as small as it is.

The Santa Ana River Crossing (SARX) study has been underway for

many years and I was asked to take a position in the 1994 City

Council election. Costa Mesa’s official position has always been to

remove the bridges from the master plan. Newport was one of the four

cities working together to find solutions to traffic flow that would

facilitate removing the bridge. It was Costa Mesa’s understanding the

recent SARX study and recommendations were satisfactory to all four

parties.

What about the other resolution that endorsed Fountain Valley’s

efforts to build another bridge over the river at Gisler Avenue?

While Costa Mesa does not support a bridge at Gisler Avenue, we

think that an environmental study, as requested by Fountain Valley,

is a compromise position, which will show all the environmental

impacts to building a bridge and will further our position of no

bridges. Are we happy about it, no. But we are interested in working

with all parties toward a solution that works for the betterment of

Costa Mesa and the region.

If Newport Beach continues to call for a bridge at 19th Street

will Costa Mesa take a harder stance in demanding that Coast Highway

being widened, which is also called for on the county transportation

master plan?

That recommendation is not a cure-all for traffic, but it

acknowledges that there are other options, which are also on the

master plan, such as the widening of Coast Highway, that can be taken

care of first. In a sense, we are saying, let’s test out the other

required mitigation before we build the bridges, for which there is

no money and the environmental issues are powerful.

Do you think there is a need for all the cities involved, Costa

Mesa, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley to bite the

bullet and realize that something will eventually need to be done to

improve traffic; whether it be one or two bridges and the expansion

of Coast Highway?

Improving traffic is something we all dream about, yet how many of

us walk or ride our bikes to the grocery store? How many of us

carpool to work? How many of us have more than two cars per family?

Do the kids all have their own car?

How many of us drive behemoth sized cars and sport utility

vehicles? How many of us take the bus, or have even figured out if it

is possible? How many of us take the side streets to avoid the major

ones -- creating traffic in neighborhoods? I am guilty of creating

traffic and, on some days, lots of trips. Traffic is a by-product of

our society, our desire to live and work here and our slow acceptance

of Orange County’s move from suburban to urban. And, of course, by

our county’s very slow acceptance of alternative transportation.

Speaking of regional transportation issues, what do you think of

the latest of the ever-shrinking CenterLine proposals?

The bullet we need to bite is mass transit. When Orange County

voters approved Measure M, we taxed ourselves, in part, for mass

transit -- the light rail called CenterLine. The voters have better

long term vision than the politicians. We, the voters, know that the

only way to ease some of the traffic on the no longer infinite

capacity freeways and major roads is to create a system of rapid

transit that can moves masses of people throughout the county. This

system needs to include better bus and rail service.

It is a shame that “not-in-my-backyard” -- also known as NIMBY --

and faint-hearted politicians have demolished a system designed for

county-wide movement of people to a short hop, connecting JWA to the

Santa Ana Civic Center through a corner of Costa Mesa. I had hoped to

be able to take the CenterLine to my job in Irvine. Maybe some day.

As you can tell, I am a little disillusioned by the CenterLine

process. But we must start somewhere. Let’s go back to the 1960’s

when a family named Segerstrom pursued the crazy notion to extend the

405 Freeway down to Costa Mesa -- to the “middle of nowhere.” They

obviously dreamed better and convinced the powers that be to build

it. It was their vision that has created one of the most successful

commercial and retail complexes in the world, which, of course, is a

driver in Costa Mesa’s fine quality of life.

The proposed shorter segment of the Centerline is the first of

many and will be the catalyst to show the rest of the county what a

valuable piece of the transportation puzzle it will be.

A lot of emphasis was placed on making sure the proposed

CenterLine route fit with Costa Mesa’s existing development and

infrastructure, and thus the favored option was born. Why is the

Lakes Pavilion development seemingly expendable?

You know, I don’t believe anything is “expendable.” Read the

Environmental Impact Report for Centerline. There are options for the

alignment on Anton Boulevard and Avenue of the Arts, including an

option that does not displace the Lakes Pavilion or the businesses

located there. There is also an option that would involve the Orange

County Transportation Authority purchasing the entire site and

possibly redeveloping it to include current businesses and

residential -- a possible mixed-use project. To this point, the

businesses have only focused on the option that would involve full

acquisition of the site and not the other choices. They need to look

at the whole picture.

You have been a longtime proponent of a light rail system, what do

you look forward to most about CenterLine coming to Costa Mesa?

Being part of something exciting, bringing the future here, now. I

believe, if you build it, it will grow. I look forward to my

grandkids being able to get from Costa Mesa to... you name it,

without having to drive. The Centerline and other mass transit

efforts must come to Orange County. We cannot remain the powerful

economic engine we are or bask in our quality of life without it.