CALTRANS PLANS TO BUILD BYPASS AROUND MOJAVE : DOWNTOWN WILL SUFFER, BUSINESSMAN SAYS.

Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer

Bill White, motel owner and downtown landlord, figures nearly half the local business comes from Highway 58.

Truckers on this key San Joaquin Valley route stop in town, hungry, weary and in need of service or fuel for their rigs. Travelers heading to the Sierras make downtown Mojave a stop.

The heavy traffic is good for Mojave, the way White sees it. But the state Transportation Department sees a need for relief and expects to begin construction in three years on a four-lane, nine-mile Highway 58 bypass that will skirt downtown. The $66 million route will be completed in 2002.

``It's going to destroy Mojave,'' White said. ``People will see downtown Mojave disintegrate.''

Downtown Mojave has grown around highways 58 and 14, which follow the same path at that point. Much of downtown Mojave is geared toward travelers - gas stations, fast-food restaurants, diners and motels.

White, who owns White's Motel and also leases properties to other businesses, says Highway 58 travelers account for nearly half of the business downtown.

When the bypass opens in five years, that business traffic will disappear, he said.

``When you take that away you'll have a snowball effect of closures,'' White said.

He suggests a bypass west of downtown, saying it would meet the goal of alleviating traffic but still allow truck drivers and other motorists an opportunity to pull into downtown for a meal or for the night.

Highway 58 carries traffic between Barstow and Bakersfield, while Highway 14 runs from Newhall, through the Antelope Valley and to Highway 395 at Lone Pine.

Caltrans plans for the bypass to begin at the Randsburg Cutoff, extend east across Highway 14, go around the Mojave Airport and rejoin Highway 58 east of Mojave.

Highway 14 will still go through downtown.

The bypass is needed to improve the flow of traffic, particularly for east-west truck traffic. Some 7,000 18-wheel rigs travel through Mojave in any given 24-hour period.

``It's need primarily to relieve the bottleneck of traffic,'' said Dan Deighan, Caltrans project manager for the bypass.

Caltrans had examined a west route, but it was dropped from consideration because of its cost - an estimated $120 million - and the fact that it would disrupt existing and planned housing.

Bill Deaver, president of the Mojave Town Council, doesn't believe the bypass spells doom for the community. There will still be business coming into town from the freeways, and the area has other industry, most notably the 1,000 jobs at the Mojave Airport and 150 jobs at the California Portland Cement Co.

With an airport that can handle any aircraft, access to a railroad and proximity to two highways, Mojave is well-positioned to become a distribution center for goods, Deaver said.

``The town will survive,'' he said. ``Life will continue.''

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Photo: (color) Traffic moves through Mojave on Highway 58, slated for a bypass.

Jeff Goldwater/Daily News