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| Road progress could cause catastrophic city improvement |
We have seen ambulances and fire vehicles struggle to get to calls while maneuvering around cars or, worse yet, being forced to drive on the wrong side of the highway.
It's time for this to be fixed and made safe for all of Pacifica.
A small minority of mostly
non-commuters have no right to attempt to impose their twisted "vision"
of a highway repair on the rest of us." (Jim Wagner, 2/12/14)
Reference - Links to the Highway 1 Widening Project Final EIR, Fix Pacifica/Steve Sinai, 8/8/13.
Note: graphic from Barnes and Noble/Dre rocks.
Submitted by Jim Wagner
Posted by Kathy Meeh
23 comments:
The leadership, as with most of these causes, comes out of mostly Vallemar. For Kaufman, who just came off a four year stint on the school board, to now proclaim that staggering school times and school buses is the answer is ironic in that as a school board member she had the chance to open discussion on these very topics and carry the water for her buddies and chose not to. Hypocritical gyrations is what I call it.
a safe and efficient commute. How hard is that to achieve?
You would think Vallemarians would be against building a giant freeway overpass that would swallow up a lot of the businesses and ruin that unique area.
Maybe they're for it because they know it would never be built. Just another stall tactic.
Hutch, those dots only connect in your world.
You mean in the world where people work steady jobs and drive cars and commute everyday (Anon Todd?). Verses the world of old hippies with no jobs? Yes then I agree, the former is my world. Just like it's the world of 18,000 Pacifica commuters.
Hutch, maybe you should leave the dots alone. Stick to your Legos.
"A small minority of mostly non-commuters have no right to attempt to impose their twisted "vision" of a highway repair on the rest of us." (Jim Wagner, 2/12/14)"
Actually Jim, goes both ways. A small group of Chamber PAC folks don't have the right to impose their twisted "vision" of a highway modernization on the rest of us. I'm a commuter and against highway widening.
Ditto 621 and there are a lot more of us watching the skirmishes. Personally, I'd like the overpass option fully explored using a clean engineering and aesthetics slate. It was dismissed too early by Caltrans.
An overpass interchange that will take out most of the businesses in Vallemar ant turn that neighborhood into a cement jungle? Yeah thats a great option. Oh and it costs more to boot? Hmmm I wonder why Caltrans went with the widening.
This overpass is just the latest in a series of non-alternatives vomited up by the gang of no. It's really not about the alternatives as much as it's about stopping the widening at any cost because they believe it will lead to increased development.
An overpass will not take out any businesses in Vallemar. Look at the map in the Final Environmental Impact Report, Vol. 1, Attachment 5, Grade Separation.
Oh 917 introduce all the facts you want. Nothing stops the zombie widening chant.
That's BS 917. How about a link if you're so sure. Caltrns clearly said one on the reasons a grade separation wasn't chosen was right of way issues. What do you think that means?
Uh, among other things it means Caltrans wants it simple. That may not be the best solution for Pacifica.
3:00 PM, I gave you all the info needed to see the map for yourself. Your refusal to deal in facts is telling.
The FEIR clearly shows onramps through several businesses including the Chevron station, body shop and parking lot of Vallemar Station.
This would eliminate at leat two businesses and hinder the market, Guerrero's, the Stations and several others by reducing parking by at least 40%.
The distortion from the opposition has been constant and unrelenting.
RE: Grade Separation (overpass)
"This alternative would have right-of-way impacts because it would require acquisition of property/right-of-way from the Rockaway Beach Area, the Quarry property, and, depending on the variation, the Reina Del Mar Avenue area. The estimated construction cost for this alternative is approximately $50-$65 million."
"depending on the variation, the Reina Del Mar Avenue area"
This means businesses could be lost depending on the variation.
The map in the FEIR shows the on and off lanes taking a little slice off the front of the gas station and the auto body shop, taking a sliver off the Vallemar Station parking and also coming close to the front door of Vallemar Station. It doesn't look like it would eliminate any businesses at all. In contrast, the widening would absolutely eliminate 2 businesses on the west side and greatly impact all of the businesses on the east side of the highway, from the Shell Station at Fassler, through Pacifica Tire & Service, the Pet Hospital, Gorilla BBQ, and would also come right up to the front of Vallemar Station. In the FEIR comment letters, the owners of the Pet Hospital have complained to Caltrans that the extra-wide alternative would eliminate their front parking lot and effectively kill their business completely.
The article has been updated to include the Final Environmental Impact Report posted on Fix by Steve Sinai, 8/8/13.
917, Now you have the link you did not provide for the "FEIR Vol 1, attachment 5". So, of the 604 pages, what page and "attachment" are your referring to?
And so far 300 has the best response to your 520 and 837 commentary retorts: "BS" until clarified.
What Hutch (944) says makes sense. The construction cost for an overpass would be higher. And something this city does not have for their small shared cost portion is MONEY. So enjoy the highway widening, NIMBY. Thanks to your successful efforts to keep this city poor, our alternatives are limited.
So many unknowns and unanswered questions. I worry more about the impact on Rockaway as Pacifica's only visitor serving area than I do about some vague impact on Vallemar business. Note the word vague. It's appropriate because what Caltrans presented and conveniently and quickly discarded is not a final version of a grade separation. For its own economic survival, this town must insist on the very best option, whatever that may be. Too bad that gets lost in the usual name calling and posturing. Widening or grade separation? IMHO the wrong choice will kill this town. We must preserve Rockaway businesses.
When Caltrans/SMCTA held a public hearing at the Council Chambers about the alternative configurations, they said they had studied the overpass option at Reina Del Mar and determined that the on and off ramps would be too close to the businesses at the corner of Highway 1 and Reina Del Mar. There was a legal requirement that on and off ramps be a certain distance away from any structure, and those businesses would have to be removed for the ramps to be built.
The NIMBYS keep proposing alternatives that Caltrans and SMCTA have already studied and ruled out.
Time to revisit those right-of-way issues. With all that engineering expertise and right-of-way know how, mighty Caltrans can do better by Pacifica. And I suspect your infernal Nimbys would be very unhappy with either an overpass at their hallowed Vallemar or a widening. Bummer, but not my concern.
Why don't the yesee's and people who like to whisper in city councils ears, all pitch in, get together and sue the noobies and nimby's.
Put up or shut up.
Put your money where your mouth is.
Sue them for what?
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