The KUSP Land Use Report #25: New Road Projects - Salinas Road and Highway One

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The following Land Use Report is presented by Gary Patton, Executive Director of LandWatch Monterey County. The opinions expressed by Mr. Patton are not necessarily those of KUSP Radio, nor of any of our sponsors.

Those who travel on Highway One know about Salinas Road. Leaving Santa Cruz County, going towards Monterey, Highway One intersects with Salinas Road right at the top of the hill. Left turns from and onto Salinas Road, coupled with speeding on Highway One, cause quite a few accidents. To deal with the safety problem, CALTRANS has proposed an overpass, and has established a study group.

Local residents are part of the study group. They have pointed out that the proposed overpass has impacts far beyond traffic safety. Major proponents of the interchange, in fact, turn out to be developers. The overpass would facilitate their projects. Neighbors also say that building this overpass would impact the entire "G-12" corridor, a state designated route linking Highway 101 to the coast. Local roads within this corridor can’t handle the traffic now. Things would get much worse if the overpass were constructed.

The proposed Salinas Road overpass highlights a truism of land use planning. Everything is connected to everything else. Road projects, in particular, intended to deal with a specific traffic congestion or traffic safety problem, often lead to completely new growth and traffic patterns that run contrary to what the community actually wants. CALTRANS is to be complimented, in this case, for studying the issues before building the project.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

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