EDITORIAL\An investment in safety.

VOTERS who lived in or near the San Fernando Valley on Jan. 17, 1994, don't need to be reminded what a severe earthquake can do.

Many of them no doubt were inconvenienced, at the very least, by the damage done to the highway and freeway system as a result of the Northridge earthquake.

In fact, there likely would have been many more fatalities and injuries to motorists if the quake had struck during rush-hour traffic, rather than before dawn.

But one thing the quake did demonstrate was the effectiveness of the seismic retrofit program. Freeway bridges that had been overhauled came through with flying colors.

Proposition 192 will expedite work on 1,209 vulnerable bridges that were identified after the quake. We support its passage.

Critics of Proposition 192 have charged that a debt increase is inappropriate, since gasoline taxes are available to pay for the work on a pay-as-you-go basis, and that its toll bridge provisions unduly favor the San Francisco Bay area.

Our responses are: (1) Proposition 192 will speed up retrofitting without delaying a lot of needed gas-tax projects, and (2) it would be wrong to exclude toll bridges from this critically needed safety program.

California is earthquake country. Delaying the retrofit program would increase preventable risks to lives and property.

PROP. 192 AT A GLANCE

Here is a summary of Proposition 192 on the March 26 statewide primary election ballot: Seismic retrofit bonds: Would authorize a $2 billion state bond issue to provide funds to reconstruct, replace or retrofit state-owned bridges in phase 2 of the state's seismic retrofit program. It specifies that $650 million shall be used exclusively to retrofit toll bridges. The average annual cost to the state's General Fund would be about $136 million for approximately 25 years. Proposition 192 will be resubmitted to the voters in the November general election if it fails in the primary election. The Daily News recommends: Yes

CAPTION(S):

CHART

box