OCTA Board Wimps Out - Picks #1

PICKED #1, NOT #2
Yesterday the Orange County Transportation Authority Board of Directors wimped out and chose Alternative 1, the addition of a single new lane in each direction, for their planned widening of the I-405 from the Corona del Mar Freeway (State route 73) to the I-605.  They rejected Alternative #2, the unanimous preferred choice by the six corridor cities involved.

BETTER THAN #3, THOUGH
This choice, after much rancorous discussion, is much better than Alternative #3 - which added toll lanes to that stretch of highway - but less satisfactory than Alternate 2.  #2 added two additional "free" lanes in each direction and would have cost marginally more than #1.

OTHER DETAILED VIEWS OF THE EVENT
I did not attend the meeting, but a couple other bloggers did and reported extensively on the proceedings.  You can read Vern Nelson's report on the Orange Juice Blog, HERE, and his pal, Greg Diamond's report on the same blog, HERE.  You can also read the coverage provided by Lauren Williams in the Daily Pilot, HERE.

OCTA RESPONSE
The OCTA press machine immediately fired off a memo on this result and provided a link to a web site showing the remaining steps in this process before the years of construction chaos begins on that stretch of freeway. (CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE)

#3 CAN STILL RISE FROM THE DEAD
Unfortunately, there remains more than a small chance that Alternative 3 will rise from the dead.  Lame Duck Mayor Eric Bever's quote in Williams article comparing Alternative 3 to Freddy Krueger was amusing.  It will require those of us concerned about the possibility of that option being chosen downstream to remain vigilant, since it would result in millions in toll revenue each year and we all know how much bureaucrats love money.