A SINGLE ARTERY CLOG AFFECTS ENTIRE SYSTEM ONCE AGAIN, STATE CAN ONLY RESPOND AS A CRISIS OCCURS.

Byline: HARRISON SHEPPARD

Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO -- The Newhall Pass is just one of dozens of potential transit choke points in the Los Angeles region that -- with a single incident such as a collision or natural disaster -- can cause thousands of Californians to be left stranded.

While the highway reopened Monday after a fiery weekend crash that had blocked it for two days, its closure meant motorists faced lengthy detours and commutes or simply were unable to get around.

Traffic experts say major interchanges such as the 405-101, the 405-10 and the multiple interchanges downtown and in East Los Angeles also are at risk.

Earlier this year, a fiery fuel tanker crash at the MacArthur Maze in the Bay Area melted an overpass and shut down the I-580 connector for about a month.

"A couple times a year we'll see a high-profile example of how vulnerable our system is," said Mark Watts, interim executive director of Transportation California. "The ones that could cause the most disruption to traffic would be freeway-to-freeway connectors, where you have multiple levels.

"Whether it's (a natural disaster) or human-based, an incident could take out that entire segment. I don't know how to avoid that, because you need those separations to make the traffic flow for routine daily commutes."

California already is struggling to keep up with traffic congestion and is unable to build in extra roadways or additional alternate routes to handle traffic in the event of an emergency, he said.

Instead, state officials simply rely on their ability to respond to disasters quickly and get traffic moving again.

Still, he noted, the transportation bond approved by voters last year contained $4.5 billion for congestion-relief programs and that should help relieve some of the pressure on capacity.

Adrian Moore, vice president of the Reason Foundation, said if the state were to tackle major congestion points -- and defy political controversy and residential opposition -- it would limit the impact during disasters.

Ideas such as double-decking segments of the 405 and 710, expanding truck-only toll lanes and connecting the 710 and 210 freeways would all help ease long-term congestion, he said.

"But these are expensive and challenging to leadership to do," Moore said. "They are long-term projects, so it's easy for short-term politicians to not take them on.

"But we all live here and we're all going to be paying for not doing these things in the long run."

To some, the Newhall Pass crash was reminiscent of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake in which traffic was tied up throughout the region.

"It reiterates what we experienced in '94," said Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, R-Santa Clarita, who lives about 10 minutes from the crash site and visited the incident command post Saturday.

"Particularly in this area, there are limited north-south routes. If you see a disruption, it will have a significant impact on the economy."

Because of its mountainous topography, the San Fernando Valley is particularly vulnerable to transportation choke points, some experts said.

There are a limited number of routes in and out of the Valley, especially at the northern end, and a blockage can jam surface streets and alternate routes for miles.

Jack Kyser, chief economist at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., estimated that the negative economic impact of the crash was in the low millions.

Businesses near the freeway, such as Magic Mountain, reported fewer customers over the weekend, but Kyser said motels around Santa Clarita saw a boost in stays by stranded drivers.

"This just shows how critical the I-5 is," Kyser said. "It's the business spine of the state of California. There's just really no good alternatives to that roadway."

harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com

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