Leaders showed wisdom denying unneeded study

There’s no need to worry about lines of cars dumping off the Orange

Freeway (57) onto Costa Mesa streets. But, there’s still the

possibility that cars full of shoppers might come streaming down that

freeway to spend money at South Coast Plaza or in other parts of the

city -- adding to the city’s tax base.

Late last month, the Orange County Transportation Authority agreed

to exclude from a study the possibility of extending the 57 past the

San Diego Freeway (405) to Pacific Coast Highway. Costa Mesa city

leaders, including City Council- man Gary Monahan, who was among

those voting against that part of the study, had maintained vehement

opposition to the proposed freeway, which they said would increase

traffic on city streets.

Other opponents raised concerns about the freeway being built

along the Santa Ana River, which empties into the ocean at the south

end of town and is already too great a source of pollution. There

even was little in the way of evidence that the coastal link would

get much use.

Building the extension, in other words, just didn’t make sense.

And it’s encouraging that our elected officials recognized that fact

and didn’t waste time or money studying the obvious.

It’s equally obvious, of course, that our traffic problems are not

going to disappear without expanded or additional freeways. The

promise of the 57 being built to the 405 is worth studying,

certainly, and would seem to add a route away from Costa Mesa that

would ease travel and commute woes. Providing another route into the

city’s shopping area -- South Coast Metro and South Coast Plaza --

would be another big plus.

This simple extension would only be a part of any permanent

solution to the county’s gridlock. But for Cost Mesa, it sounds like

it could be a big improvement.