Keep making plans for east-west route

Does Stanislaus County need an east-west expressway?

Ask that question today and the answer is a solid "yes," based on the way that traffic clogs up on Highway 108 as it runs from north McHenry Avenue through downtown Riverbank and Oakdale and on to the east.

Ask that question looking ahead 20 to 40 years, and the answer is "absolutely."

Although long-term population projections have been thrown off by the recession, we have no doubt that growth will resume — though we, like many, hope it won't be at the frantic pace we experienced earlier this decade. Whatever the rate, there will be more of us, and thus, more cars and trucks.

Furthermore, Riverbank and Oakdale both hope to entice new employers to their respective business and industrial parks. For that to happen there needs to be convenient access to Highway 99. That's not the case right now with Highway 108, because the 83 intersections and hundreds of driveways make it a highway in name only; in reality it is nothing more than a busy main street for the two cities.

For those reasons and more, we believe it is essential for local leaders and Caltrans to continue to plan for the east segment of the North County Corridor, which eventually will be a 25-mile link from Highway 99 in the Salida area to Highway 120 on the east side of Oakdale.

Understandably, the proposal has drawn a full range of reactions, from enthusiastic support to fierce opposition to serious skepticism by people concerned that roadway will run across or near their land, reducing their property values, hindering their ability to farm or destroying their homes.

The strong opposition was visible most recently at public hearings in Oakdale and Riverbank. At least some of it, though, appears to stem from fears that are based on misunderstanding and misinformation. As part of the broad-sweep approach of the transportation planning process, the maps show two large alternate corridors — swaths 2,000 to 3,000 feet wide. But those swaths aren't the alignment of the proposed expressway; they're only the area in which the actual 300-foot-wide roadway would be constructed.

Once the California Transportation Commission settles on one of the two general corridors, that should allay some concerns. Even so, it will be at least another couple of years before the exact route alignment is identified.

Some opponents argue that improving the roads will only encourage more growth. We don't think that's a viable argument, given how much growth has already occurred on a system of roadways that is grossly inadequate. It was only a few years ago that people regularly cited poor roads as one of their greatest frustrations — and something that local government needed to address.

Stanislaus County has long had a problem finishing road projects for two primary reasons: The lack of money and an inability to identify and stick to a route. A perfect example of that was the Oakdale bypass.

Now there's a possibility of building at least the eastern segment of an expressway, thanks to unusual cooperation among three cities and the county and to the potential availability of state funds previously earmarked for the Oakdale bypass.

Transportation officials need to listen to the concerns of residents who see their property within the lines on the route map. But they also need to hear from people who believe, as we do, in the need for an east-west expressway — for both today and the future.