Bury the Tollway? Officials Override an Intriguing Idea

I have to say that when I first read about Jon Brand’s idea, it sounded pretty wacky. It came in a letter that began, “I have become deeply disturbed about the future of Laguna Canyon.�

Brand, a geography professor at Orange Coast College and former Laguna Beach mayor, said he and others are becoming increasingly convinced the 15-mile, six-lane San Joaquin Hills tollway is going to be built and that it “will overwhelm Laguna Canyon.�

Enter Brand’s idea: to bury the 2 1/2 miles of the corridor that would run through the canyon. He said that building the canyon section of the tollway underground might ease a lot of environmental opposition to the project while preserving the canyon’s natural state. He said engineers have told him it would cost $100 million to do the realignment.

After getting his letter, I invited Brand to stop by the office to talk about his idea. Far from being a nutty guy, he almost had me convinced the idea could fly. But he willingly conceded that support would have to come from people like Supervisor Thomas F. Riley, Irvine Co. chairman Donald L. Bren, Laguna Beach officials and Caltrans.

“I want to show there’s a reasonable alternative,� Brand said. “When you look at the cost (of the tollway), it’s going to cost a billion and a quarter when they get the (high occupancy vehicle) lanes finished. For $100 million, if you could solve the gnatcatcher problem, the cactus wren problem, save Laguna Canyon and save the greenbelt, that’s a very small amount of money. If the only thing stopping it is the power elite, and if they refuse to lend a hand in a project that could succeed . . . I’ll sleep well because I tried. I don’t know if they’ll sleep well.�

Brand’s master plan calls for Laguna Beach to “get the ball rolling� with maybe $10 million or so and have Caltrans provide the bulk of the remainder--maybe as much as $50 million. The rest, Brand said, could come from a variety of sources.

“If Don Bren, if Tom Riley will get on the phone and say (to Gov. Pete Wilson), ‘Will you give us a little bit of money, get the ball rolling?’ we could do it,� Brand said. “It’s doable.�

Brand’s best strategic hope is that all sides would rather accept his compromise--high price tag and all--than run the risk of losing a court challenge.

Well, where to start with the bad news?

Laguna Beach Mayor Robert F. Gentry opposes the tollway but said he can’t endorse the idea of his city digging any deeper into its own pockets, even to get the proverbial ball rolling. While calling Brand’s proposal “a fascinating idea,� Gentry said he doubts as a practical matter that it’s affordable.

I wouldn’t count on Bren elbowing the governor on the idea, either. Irvine Co. spokeswoman Dawn McCormick said the company applauds Brand’s spirit of compromise but also doesn’t think the idea is affordable.

Mike Stockstill, the Tollway Corridor Agencies’ spokesman, said the cost would be prohibitive and the engineering too problematical, so Brand’s proposal wasn’t seen as feasible when the agency considered it last year.

My efforts to reach Supervisor Riley failed, but I think I get the picture without him.

Just to complete the loop, a Caltrans official overseeing the tollway project said he doesn’t foresee the state agency getting into the fray.

Not even Norm Grossman, who heads one of the environmental groups fighting the tollway in court, was enthralled by Brand’s idea. Although Grossman said environmentalists “are interested in compromise if it makes sense,� he said that Brand’s idea addresses only part of their concerns about the project.

Grossman pegged as 50-50 the environmentalists’ chances of stopping the tollway.

“If it’s 50-50, that’s not good enough for me,� Brand said. “I don’t want to take a 50-50 chance on the greenbelt. I’d rather say let’s build it, work together, let’s find a way to bury it, let’s find a way to find that $100 million.�

Sorry, Mr. Brand. Compromise doesn’t seem to be the order of the day, not with the lawsuits flying around and road grading being talked about for sometime this summer.

“We’ve stopped two freeways� in Laguna Beach, Brand said. “This one I don’t think we can stop, but if someone will take that first step, I think we can bury it.�

Brand wanted his idea exposed to the light, and I was happy to do it for him.

But I have the same sinking feeling I’ve always had--the tollway will be built through the canyon.

The only thing that’s going to be buried under Laguna Canyon is Brand’s idea.

Dana Parsons’ column appears Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Readers may reach Parsons by writing to him at The Times Orange County Edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626, or calling (714) 966-7821.