$110 BILLION TRAFFIC FIX DOUBLE-DECK FREEWAYS, HIGH-SPEED TRANSIT IN 25-YEAR PLAN.

Byline: Joseph Giordono Staff Writer

Easing Los Angeles' traffic gridlock will cost a staggering $110 billion over the next 25 years, according to a regional transportation plan released Thursday.

The Southern California Association of Government's plan calls for adding a deck to freeways, building high-speed bus and rail lines, and creating a new freeway linking Los Angeles and San Diego counties, among other measures.

A critical element of plan is winning public support for $40 billion in new taxes that will be necessary because a series of local measures earmarked for transportation are set to expire over the next 10 years. Other funding would be needed from the state and federal governments.

Previous SCAG reports have yielded similarly ambitious proposals, with the most routine - more car-pool lanes and air quality standard improvements - getting picked up.

``This is a blueprint for local governments and agencies to follow. It is up to them whether or not these things become a reality, and there are times when the consensus is not there,'' said Hal Bernson, a SCAG council officer and Los Angeles councilman.

``The political reality is that it will be difficult to get people to stop using their cars and become more reliant on public transportation. But these are things that need to be funded.''

With many local taxes that fund transportation projects set to expire in the next decade, the plan's supporters said taxpayers will have to make tough choices.

``Given good, solid information on the impact that these proposals will have on their everyday lives, voters will make their own decisions,'' said Judy Mikels, a SCAG Regional Council member and Ventura County supervisor.

``But you have to remember that this is a planning document that is subject to review every three years. We try not to play political games with it and try to figure out the best way to distribute the program funds.''

Focus on problems

The regional transportation plan must be updated and submitted to federal transportation agencies every three years. By law, any federal transportation funding granted to the six-county SCAG region must be consistent with the plan.

Other transportation officials said the plan might surprise some, but would hopefully bring attention to the region's transportation problems.

``The numbers may be surprising to some, but it is important to have these long-range plans in effect,'' said James De La Loza, planning director of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which will release a plan of its own in January.

``It is a very ambitious plan, and unfortunately, it is getting harder and harder to reach consensus on these things,'' said Dan Beal, director of transportation policy for the Automobile Club of Southern California.

According to the SCAG report, regional population is expected to increase by 40 percent by the year 2025.

Projections show that without major work, average freeway speeds would deteriorate to about 16 mph, and the number of hours per day that commuters spend in their cars would more than double.

Enhancing freeways

To help reduce freeway congestion, the report focuses on increasing the number of high-occupancy-vehicle lanes and adding toll lanes to local roads.

Plans call for possibly adding a deck to the Ventura Freeway, adding two lanes to the San Diego Freeway and creating a system of ``transit corridor'' bus and rail lines along existing freeways.

One of the Valley's most troublesome routes - the intersection of the Ronald Reagan and San Diego freeways - was ignored.

``Believe me, I would have liked to have done something about that, but it is something to address again in three years,'' said Mikels, the Ventura County supervisor.

Among the planned corridors would be a rapid-bus line along the San Diego Freeway from the Valley through West Los Angeles.

Another possible plan calls for a new freeway to be constructed that would connect Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. Because of problems identifying where the right of way for such a freeway could be found, there is no specific route yet suggested.

The plan also addresses improving congestion on arterial roads, which account for more than 50 percent of commuter traffic. Capacity could be doubled by widening major streets and prioritizing the traffic signal system, the report said.

``In trying to put together this plan, we target the trouble areas. But what we found out are that about 75 percent of our freeways can already be defined as trouble spots,'' said Hasan Ikhrata, SCAG's manager of transportation and finance issues.

But freeways weren't the sole focus of the report.

Rail solutions

The plan also calls for support of the proposed maglev, or magnetic levitation, train system. SCAG planners said that such a high-speed rail with four lines could be completed by 2010, reaching from Los Angeles International Airport to Palmdale to the March Inland Port.

By 2025, the system would include lines from Palmdale to Union Station and out to Orange and San Bernardino counties.

Current plans call for federal funding to cover $950 million of the estimated $4 billion to $6 billion in construction costs. Localities would be responsible for the rest.

The SCAG report also estimates that Southern California's already struggling airports will see a doubling in passenger demand and a tripling in cargo demand.

In response, officials say, regional airports - including a proposed El Toro airport, Palmdale, Ontario and the Inland Empire - are going to have to pick up the load.

But a second scenario could touch off another fight. If the regional airports are unable or unwilling to pick up the extra load, the report recommends expanding LAX.

``That is obviously the less desirable option,'' said Mikels, head of the SCAG aviation task force.

``Aviation demand is going to go through the roof, and LAX just can't handle everything coming down the pipe.''

AT A GLANCE

Among the recommendations in the Southern California Association of Government's 2001 Regional Transportation Plan are to:

--Add a rail and bus transit corridor along the Ventura Freeway throughout the Valley, or add a deck to the freeway.

--Add two more lanes (including an extra car-pool lane) to the San Diego Freeway.

--Construct a new freeway, along an as-yet-undetermined route, connecting Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.

--Expand the capacity of existing public transportation systems and encourage fewer drivers and more riders.

--Pursue development of a high-speed maglev train system that would link San Bernardino County, Palmdale, downtown Los Angeles, LAX and Orange County by the year 2025.

--Develop market incentives and high-speed rail service to airports in El Toro, Palmdale, Ontario and the Inland Empire to deal with a projected doubling in passenger loads at existing airports.

--Expand LAX if regional airports are unable or unwilling to carry new load.

--Encourage cities to pursue transportation plans and funding for pedestrian and bicycle routes.

--Submit an environmental impact report on proposed fixes by January 2001.

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