SOUNDING OFF:Tunnels could relieve traffic, maintain locals’ quality of life

It’s no wonder Newport Beach kept the coastal freeway from careening through town years ago. And it’s no wonder city officials secured state legislation to prohibit the 55 Freeway from even entering their town.

And it’s no wonder they now want a bridge over the Santa Ana River at 19th Street, so that Huntington Beach commuter traffic will bypass Newport Beach on its way to and from the 55 Freeway in Costa Mesa.

By the same token, is it any wonder that Costa Mesa views that same 19th Street bridge idea as a nonstarter?

Costa Mesans have forcefully demonstrated time and again that they don’t want mini-freeways blasting through their quiet Eastside and Westside neighborhoods.

Nobody wants excessive traffic — except maybe toll road operators. But every city is obliged to carry some regional traffic, if only because other cities carry its travelers on their streets.

Costa Mesa has certainly done its share in this regard by absorbing the Mississippi River of regional traffic that pours off the end of the Costa Mesa Freeway (55) into the heart of its downtown. Dispersing this volume of traffic has severely affected the viability of downtown Costa Mesa businesses.

We refuse to allow similar damage to be inflicted on other parts of the city.

Is there a Goldilocks solution?

Yes, if we permit ourselves to think big.

Perhaps the Orange County Transportation Authority could include another tunnel in its studies, a westbound one under 19th Street. This would branch off the end of the 55 Freeway and would extend under Banning Ranch and the Santa Ana River, to connect with Brookhurst Street in Huntington Beach.

This branch of the tunnel would attract the commuter traffic that now uses West Coast Highway between Huntington Beach and the 55 Freeway. Significantly, it would do this without affecting Costa Mesa’s neighborhoods and surface streets.

While expensive, such a tunnel could be significantly less expensive per foot than the one under Newport Boulevard. It could be trenched, rather than bored, because West 19th is not clogged with the high volume of traffic that Newport Boulevard has.

In the future, perhaps a tunnel under East 17th Street down to West Coast Highway at Dover could be justified for traffic that uses Mariners Mile and Costa Mesa’s Eastside neighborhood streets.

This would attract commuters wishing to reach the San Diego Freeway (405) or 55 Freeway while avoiding Irvine Avenue and Jamboree Road.

On the other hand, if the source of the problem is just traffic that isn’t aimed at the peninsula, perhaps the tunnel under Newport Boulevard would not be needed if the East 17th and West 19th tunnels were built.

Goldilocks solutions may cost a lot, but they may be worth it.

Retaining and improving the quality of life is increasingly important to the residents of Newport-Mesa.