Reminder: March 3rd Public Environmental Scoping Meeting on SR1/Calera Parkway Project to Reduce Congestion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

By:

Barbara Arietta
Vice Chair - San Mateo County Transportation Authority, CAC415-246-0775

On Wednesday, March 3, 2010, The San Mateo County Transportation Authority (SMCTA) and the City of Pacifica, in partnership with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will hold a Public Environmental Scoping Meeting on the proposed State Route 1/Calera Parkway Project(project). The meeting will be held at 7:30 pm in the Community Center, at 540 Crespi Drive in Pacifica. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), as owner and operator of State Route 1 and Lead Agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) will prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment (DEIR/EA) for the project, which is sponsored by the San Mateo County Transportation Authority (SMCTA) and the City of Pacifica.

The purpose of the project is to reduce congestion on the segment of SR1/Calera Parkway within the City of Pacifica, which extends from approximately 2,300 feet north of Reina Del Mar Avenue to approximately 1,500 feet south of Fassler Avenue/Rockaway Beach Avenue. 

"The focus of the meeting will be to determine the "scope" of the Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment (DEIR/EA) to assess the potential environmental effects of the proposed project. The DEIR/EA process is intended to develop and evaluate the effects of potential modifications to this segment of SR1," said Joe Hurley, Program Director of the SMCTA.

"The project scope may include widening from four lanes to six lanes (three through-lanes in each travel direction) and improvements at the SR1/Reina Del Mar Avenue and SR 1/Fassler Avenue/Rockaway Beach Avenue intersections, including additional lane capacity and signal timing improvements," Hurley said.

It is anticipated that the proposed project may have several environmental impacts including the following: Land Use, Traffic and Circulation, Utilities and Services, Visual/Aesthetics, Cultural Resources, Hydrology, Floodplain, and Water Quality, Geology/Soils/Seismic/Topography, Hazardous Materials, Air Quality, Noise, Biological Resources, Growth-Inducement, Cumulative Impacts, and Global Climate Change.

"We are seeking the views of the community regarding the relevant environmental issues and information to be addressed in the DEIR/EA, prior to its preparation. Both verbal and written comments can be provided at the meeting," said Hurley. Written comments on the scope and content of the DEIR/EA will also be accepted until March 19, 2010. Additional comments on the project may also be sent to Joseph M. Hurley, Program Director, SMCTA, P.O. Box 3006, San Carlos, CA 94070-1306, San Carlos, CA 94070-1306. Fax :650-508-7938. Email: smcta_feedback@smcta.com.

For more information, please contact the San Mateo County Transportation Authority at 650-508-6283. 

Editor's Note: There's a lot of opposition to improving Highway 1 through Pacifica, and over on Riptide they're already starting with comments along the (paraphrased) lines of, "Leave it the way it is",  "We shouldn't do anything to make it easier to drive in Pacifica", "Caltrans and the County are conspiring to destroy Pacifica", and "If we widen the highway, global warming will increase and we'll all die."

Of course, these are the same people who always use the "traffic's too congested" complaint to block economic development in town.  

It would be great if as many people as possible showed up the meeting and let the County know that we believe Highway 1 improvement is long overdue. - Steve S.