Post by nickv on Jan 18, 2009 23:24:40 GMT -8
News Updates and My Thoughts on the
Corona-to-Irvine Highway TriTunnel Express Project
Last week the Press Enterprise published an update on the TriTunnel Express project: a proposal to drill a highway tunnel under the Santa Ana Mountains between Corona and Irvine. The article is below, but I want to share my thoughts on this proposal.
I first heard about this proposal back in 2004. For those not familiar with this proposal here's a little background. Former Irvine mayor and transportation visionary Bill Vardoulis led an effort to build a system of three 45-foot-diameter tunnels straight through the Santa Ana Mountains, providing a direct route from the 133/241 interchange near the Irvine Spectrum to I-15 at Cajalco Road at Dos Lagos. On the Riverside end, the new roadway would link up with the RCTC Mid County Parkway project that will connect the I-15 and the I-215.
Vardoulis is an engineer, with degrees from USC and UCI, and the TriTunnel has some of the epic appeal of America’s great engineering projects of the past, such as the Panama Canal and Hoover Dam. As designed, it would carry four lanes of car traffic, two lanes of truck traffic, high speed light rail (double tracked), and water and utility mains.
OCTA and the RCTC have included this idea when the two agencies conducted a major investment study to improve traffic flow on SR-91. Right now rock samples are being examined to see if such a tunnel would be possible. Studies have also indicated that the tunnels would need to be 50 feet in diameter.
It might be tempting to simply say “I support” or “I object” to such a project just by looking at it, but it does have major issues that can and need to be addressed:
Sprawl and Car-centered development. Now, don't get me wrong, the development won't take place on the Santa Ana Mountains, but the areas of concern include the remaining open land space all throughout the Inland Empire and possibly the Coachella Valley.
Like most highway projects, one core problem of this project is the "promotion" of long distance commutes. Suppose both this and the RCTC Mid County project get built; it would be tempting to buy low cost property all the way out in the Coachella Valley and commute to Irvine! There is currently no direct public bus or train route from the Lower Desert to Irvine except for Greyhound.
One way around this problem would be for OCTA/RCTC to work with the County of Riverside and its cities to establish a developer requirement of funding mass transit which would include commuter express buses that would connect to the tunnel's high speed light rail line (or continue through the tunnel to the Irvine TC) and strict development codes so that the development is built in existing urban areas, is mixed-use, walkable, and pedestrian & transit friendly. The other idea is to require developers to fund the reinstatement of the SunLink Commuter express bus between the Coachella Valley and Riverside Downtown.
Rail Alignments Beyond the Tunnel? - The other issue that I have of this project are the alignments for the high speed light rail transit line once the rails exit the tunnel on both ends...Anybody who advocates a rail line knows that a lot of work and study must be done to create such rail alignments, and that includes the rail extensions from the tunnel alignment to the activity centers.
Looking at this project as it stands right now (ie. no address to possible sprawl and more long distance commuting), it does have its problems; so I cannot support it just yet. However, a transportation alternative to SR-91 would be very welcoming...
More study urged for Corona-to-Irvine tunnel plan
09:43 PM PST Wednesday, January 14, 2009
By DUG BEGLEY
The Press-Enterprise
Riverside County is the soft spot in a plan to build two almost 12-mile tunnels between Corona and Irvine, but county transportation officials say preliminary findings on the long-discussed mega-project deserve further study.
Core samples taken last year in the Cleveland National Forest found the rock in Riverside County is potentially unsuitable, said Paul Guptill, engineering geologist for Kleinfelder Inc., the company studying tunnel feasibility.
"It is pretty weak rock," Guptill told the Riverside County Transportation Commission.
While there is stronger rock on the Orange County side of the proposed tunnel, which officials hope can relieve congestion on Highway 91 by giving commuters a four-lane east-west route, the weak ground in Riverside County might mean additional construction or groundbreaking designs will be needed.
"The opinion is these are not insurmountable issues," Guptill said. "...But they could require innovations we have not identified."
Wednesday's discussion was based on preliminary analysis of the core samples, collected between July and November. A final feasibility report should be ready by the end of the year, said Cathy Bechtel, project development director for the county transportation commission.
Going Deeper
Bechtel said analysis of the study will require adding to the contract with Kleinfelder, something the transportation commission must approve. An amendment to the contract will also add to the cost, though an estimate won't be ready until next month, she said.
Anne Mayer, executive director of the commission, said no local money has or will be spent adding to the contract. A federal grant secured in 2006 for $15.8 million will fund any studies, she said.
So far officials have spent $6 million, Bechtel said.
But even with no local money on the line, some Riverside County officials said they were wary of going beyond the existing study.
"I wonder how much time and effort and dollars we as a commission want to put into this," said La Quinta councilwoman Terry Henderson. "I'm not sure exactly."
Some in the county doubt the studies will ever lead to a tunnel.
"It won't be in my lifetime," sighed Jack Spall, 57, of Corona.
Deal with it
Spall said while another route from Riverside to Orange counties would help ease traffic congestion, a tunnel is a "fantasy" solution to a problem that's really about bringing jobs closer to workers.
"Where's it going to stop?" Spall asked. "Should somebody in Palm Springs work in Orange County? Well, maybe if they want to live in Palm Springs they can deal with the traffic or move."
Many officials say a tough road isn't a reason to trash the tunnel.
"This is our last, best chance to solve the 91 debacle," said county supervisor Jeff Stone, referring to the bottleneck created by having only one Orange County connection to the Inland area.
Rising costs
Officials estimated in 2005 the cost of the tunnels at $6 billion, but acknowledge the price is likely higher now. Based on the state's construction-cost index, a $6 billion project in 2005 would be a $7.36 billion project today.
But a higher cost doesn't absolve transportation officials of seeing if the tunnel is an option.
"If we just vacated this idea just for a cost factor without going further, we would not be doing our due diligence," said Corona councilwoman Karen Spiegel.
Pressing forward does not cost either county any money or commit anyone to building the tunnel, Mayer said.
Joint Decision
Riverside County is overseeing the study of the tunnel, but approval of the project, if it happens, must come from both Riverside and Orange county officials. The counties formed a joint Riverside Orange Corridor Authority with Foothill Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency, the agency that oversees the 241 Toll Road in Orange County.
Reach Dug Begley at 951-368-9475 or dbegley@PE.com
Corona-to-Irvine Highway TriTunnel Express Project
Last week the Press Enterprise published an update on the TriTunnel Express project: a proposal to drill a highway tunnel under the Santa Ana Mountains between Corona and Irvine. The article is below, but I want to share my thoughts on this proposal.
I first heard about this proposal back in 2004. For those not familiar with this proposal here's a little background. Former Irvine mayor and transportation visionary Bill Vardoulis led an effort to build a system of three 45-foot-diameter tunnels straight through the Santa Ana Mountains, providing a direct route from the 133/241 interchange near the Irvine Spectrum to I-15 at Cajalco Road at Dos Lagos. On the Riverside end, the new roadway would link up with the RCTC Mid County Parkway project that will connect the I-15 and the I-215.
Vardoulis is an engineer, with degrees from USC and UCI, and the TriTunnel has some of the epic appeal of America’s great engineering projects of the past, such as the Panama Canal and Hoover Dam. As designed, it would carry four lanes of car traffic, two lanes of truck traffic, high speed light rail (double tracked), and water and utility mains.
OCTA and the RCTC have included this idea when the two agencies conducted a major investment study to improve traffic flow on SR-91. Right now rock samples are being examined to see if such a tunnel would be possible. Studies have also indicated that the tunnels would need to be 50 feet in diameter.
It might be tempting to simply say “I support” or “I object” to such a project just by looking at it, but it does have major issues that can and need to be addressed:
Sprawl and Car-centered development. Now, don't get me wrong, the development won't take place on the Santa Ana Mountains, but the areas of concern include the remaining open land space all throughout the Inland Empire and possibly the Coachella Valley.
Like most highway projects, one core problem of this project is the "promotion" of long distance commutes. Suppose both this and the RCTC Mid County project get built; it would be tempting to buy low cost property all the way out in the Coachella Valley and commute to Irvine! There is currently no direct public bus or train route from the Lower Desert to Irvine except for Greyhound.
One way around this problem would be for OCTA/RCTC to work with the County of Riverside and its cities to establish a developer requirement of funding mass transit which would include commuter express buses that would connect to the tunnel's high speed light rail line (or continue through the tunnel to the Irvine TC) and strict development codes so that the development is built in existing urban areas, is mixed-use, walkable, and pedestrian & transit friendly. The other idea is to require developers to fund the reinstatement of the SunLink Commuter express bus between the Coachella Valley and Riverside Downtown.
Rail Alignments Beyond the Tunnel? - The other issue that I have of this project are the alignments for the high speed light rail transit line once the rails exit the tunnel on both ends...Anybody who advocates a rail line knows that a lot of work and study must be done to create such rail alignments, and that includes the rail extensions from the tunnel alignment to the activity centers.
Looking at this project as it stands right now (ie. no address to possible sprawl and more long distance commuting), it does have its problems; so I cannot support it just yet. However, a transportation alternative to SR-91 would be very welcoming...
More study urged for Corona-to-Irvine tunnel plan
09:43 PM PST Wednesday, January 14, 2009
By DUG BEGLEY
The Press-Enterprise
Riverside County is the soft spot in a plan to build two almost 12-mile tunnels between Corona and Irvine, but county transportation officials say preliminary findings on the long-discussed mega-project deserve further study.
Core samples taken last year in the Cleveland National Forest found the rock in Riverside County is potentially unsuitable, said Paul Guptill, engineering geologist for Kleinfelder Inc., the company studying tunnel feasibility.
"It is pretty weak rock," Guptill told the Riverside County Transportation Commission.
While there is stronger rock on the Orange County side of the proposed tunnel, which officials hope can relieve congestion on Highway 91 by giving commuters a four-lane east-west route, the weak ground in Riverside County might mean additional construction or groundbreaking designs will be needed.
"The opinion is these are not insurmountable issues," Guptill said. "...But they could require innovations we have not identified."
Wednesday's discussion was based on preliminary analysis of the core samples, collected between July and November. A final feasibility report should be ready by the end of the year, said Cathy Bechtel, project development director for the county transportation commission.
Going Deeper
Bechtel said analysis of the study will require adding to the contract with Kleinfelder, something the transportation commission must approve. An amendment to the contract will also add to the cost, though an estimate won't be ready until next month, she said.
Anne Mayer, executive director of the commission, said no local money has or will be spent adding to the contract. A federal grant secured in 2006 for $15.8 million will fund any studies, she said.
So far officials have spent $6 million, Bechtel said.
But even with no local money on the line, some Riverside County officials said they were wary of going beyond the existing study.
"I wonder how much time and effort and dollars we as a commission want to put into this," said La Quinta councilwoman Terry Henderson. "I'm not sure exactly."
Some in the county doubt the studies will ever lead to a tunnel.
"It won't be in my lifetime," sighed Jack Spall, 57, of Corona.
Deal with it
Spall said while another route from Riverside to Orange counties would help ease traffic congestion, a tunnel is a "fantasy" solution to a problem that's really about bringing jobs closer to workers.
"Where's it going to stop?" Spall asked. "Should somebody in Palm Springs work in Orange County? Well, maybe if they want to live in Palm Springs they can deal with the traffic or move."
Many officials say a tough road isn't a reason to trash the tunnel.
"This is our last, best chance to solve the 91 debacle," said county supervisor Jeff Stone, referring to the bottleneck created by having only one Orange County connection to the Inland area.
Rising costs
Officials estimated in 2005 the cost of the tunnels at $6 billion, but acknowledge the price is likely higher now. Based on the state's construction-cost index, a $6 billion project in 2005 would be a $7.36 billion project today.
But a higher cost doesn't absolve transportation officials of seeing if the tunnel is an option.
"If we just vacated this idea just for a cost factor without going further, we would not be doing our due diligence," said Corona councilwoman Karen Spiegel.
Pressing forward does not cost either county any money or commit anyone to building the tunnel, Mayer said.
Joint Decision
Riverside County is overseeing the study of the tunnel, but approval of the project, if it happens, must come from both Riverside and Orange county officials. The counties formed a joint Riverside Orange Corridor Authority with Foothill Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency, the agency that oversees the 241 Toll Road in Orange County.
Reach Dug Begley at 951-368-9475 or dbegley@PE.com
