AP: Calif. May Build Tunnel in Quake Region

Nov 12, 8:46 PM EST

Calif. May Build Tunnel in Quake Region

By GILLIAN FLACCUS
Associated Press Writer

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. (AP) -- Traffic is so bad along the eastern rim of Los Angeles' suburban ring that regional planners are considering the once unthinkable - an 11-mile tunnel through a mountain range in earthquake country.

Critics question the logic of building a multibillion-dollar project in a region so prone to earthquakes that an alternate proposal for a double-decker highway was deemed too dangerous. The tunnel would begin barely a mile from a fault that produced a 6.0-magnitude earthquake about a century ago.

(snip)

Transportation officials insist something drastic must be done to deal with the crippling traffic congestion between Orange and Riverside counties, which are separated by the 25-mile-long Santa Ana Mountains. Nearly 400,000 people commute into Orange County daily from four surrounding counties and nearly all of them drive.

California Highway 91, the only major road connecting Riverside County, where homes are more affordable, to jobs-rich northern Orange County carries 268,000 cars a day, nearly 50,000 more than it was built to handle. Officials expect that to increase over the next 25 years to nearly a half-million cars per day.

(snip)

The tunnel would rank second in length to Norway's 15-mile Laerdal Tunnel, which opened in 2000, said Michael Litschi, spokesman for the Orange County Transportation Authority. There are longer railroad tunnels, including the 33.5-mile Seikan Tunnel in Japan and the 31.3-mile Channel Tunnel linking England and France.

(snip)


On the Net:

Riverside-Orangeside County Connection: http://rcocconnection.info

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TANGLED_COMMUTE?SITE=CALON&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Hey, you know what, if we keep ignoring science, maybe it'll just go away :rofl:

Real stupid idea, seriously

I'm sure Superman will save the day should anything bad happen to Lois.

:toast: :bounce:

I've been a reading lurker for years!

Thanks nonetheless!! :)

This demonstrates another example of how tax-payer money is being used to subsidize corporate profits. Why do so many people have to commute? Because their salaries don't allow them to live near where the jobs are. Companies should be forced to pay a livable wage relative to their geographic location. This is like how WalMart encourages their employees to get food stamps etc because they pay them so low.

Just more corporate welfare.

I think we do things right up here - and they ought to build a high passenger density rail line- either "commuter rail" (like the Union Pacific CalTrain from the South Bay to San Francisco) or "subway" (like BART or DC Metro) or "Light Rail" (like VTA Light Rail or Muni Light Rail).

With "Light Rail" or "subway" or "train" type cars - using "at grade" or "retained fill" or "retained cut/trench" construction - with the right soil mechanics and soil stabilization - the fault line should not be a problem.

I am biased. I don't like to drive. I like transit.

I live in the South Bay (about 40 miles from San Francisco), in a condo in a Transit Village/Planned Community in the North First Street-Tasman Road Corridor.

Right now, the BART Extension to San Jose is still vapor ware. But the proposed multi-mode terminal is just 3 "Light Rail" stops down Tasman. And, the CalTrain is just a 30 minute Light Rail Ride away (other direction on Tasman). I don't even put 3000 miles a year on my car -- and that's in California.

Don't like traffic? I suggest you move. Frankly, the city (ne, entire SoCal region) is just not designed for public transport. I moved from LA to Chicago a few years ago, and am a HUGE supporter of rail trasportation (it works here), but I really can't see it working in an area as spread out as Los Angeles.

What's really freaky is that they DO in fact, have a subway there. I've only been on it a handfull of times, because it doesn't really take you anywhere except downtown, but the entire time "earthquake!" was the only thing in my mind.

from O'Hare to to town. Same is avail abe from Midway.

In LA, on the other hand, when its red (I think) line was build, it was constructed just a few miles shy of LAX. And no one has an explanation for such a stupid short sight planning.

Yes, the new mayor wants to extend it but of course now it will be a major costly project.

The "habitable area" is really a ribbon around the Bay - between "Bayshore" and "Foothill" - which is not that wide.

On "The Peninsula" 280 (along the foothills) El Camino Real (centerline of the Peninsula) , 101 (along the Bay shore), and Caltrain (centerline of the Peninsula) pretty much cover the area.

In the East Bay - "The Nimitz" (880) is it.

"South Bay" (Santa Clara County roughly below Moffet Field and 237) has a Light rail grid (growing) and Cal Train.

But out situation is nowhere near as bleak as LA.

imagine being trapped in there by an ordinary series of collisions, miles away from help with no escape, vehicle fires sucking up all the oxygen despite the ventilation they will try to have.

ugggg.

I drive the existing mountain road once in a while, and it is a dangerous experience with the traffic load. Was a great leisurely drive 20 years ago.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

I've driven 91 a few times. That would be a quite a mess if a serious quake hit there during rush anyway.

With some amount of an intelligent, seismometer-linked electronic closure and warning system, and some settlement of liability issues in advance, I'm not so sure a tunnel is a bad idea.

$25 billion and 11 years seems truly ridiculous, though. It seems more than 95% of such a job could be done in 1-2 years and for $5 billion with the technology there is.