When I opened up this mornings copy of the LA Times, the front page had a ‘Boring’ (get it?) article on three tunnel projects which have been proposed to ease traffic flows in the Southern California region. Among the projects listed was the proposed connecting tunnel between Riverside and Orange Counties. If these projects ever see the light of day they will be the largest American transportation projects since the ‘Big Dig’ in Boston.

Engineering projects have always amazed me. On my first trip to Europe I paid a premium above my euro rail pass just so I could ride the Chunnel train from Waterloo to Guard de Nord. That was an amazing experience, especially when you consider that I was reading the book “Band of Brothers” in the dinning car underneath the British channel. When I worked in Boston my commute took me through the Big Dig on a daily basis. As you approach the tunnel system into the city you immediately see all of the air conditioning plants that were built to keep fresh air in the system. As with both of these projects they did have their fair share of disasters, a fire on a truck car shut down the Chunnel and leaks occasionally occur in the big dig tunnels.

Returning to the proposed tunnel in Orange County, this tunnel will be built under the Cleveland National Forest and connect the inland empire with the coastal communities of Orange County. In the proposed design for the tunnel, it calls for one main double decker tunnel design with freight traffic and a light rail commuter system going in opposite directions in a corresponding tunnel. The main tunnel would be a bi-tunnel design for commuter traffic similar to the 31-mile long Chunnel tunnel. According to the TriTunnel Express the tunnel would start in Riverside County at Caljaco Road and I-15 and end at the 241-133 interchange in Irvine.

With workers living in affordable housing in Riverside but the jobs in Orange County the traffic problem will only get worse. Any construction project, be it a tunnel or a new freeway will only serve as temporary solutions to this constant transportation problem. Living next to the 91 I’ve learned to avoid it at all cost in the morning and any time after four in the afternoon, and don’t even get me started on the 91 express lanes as they are just as congested in the afternoons. Even the 241 toll road is starting to see some of the congestion of its freeway counterparts.

Some alternatives to the tunnel project have been proposed, such as the widening of the Ortega Highway to the building of a second deck or a second 91 freeway which would run along the current route, but each plan has been sunk. The expansion of the Ortega highway has met opposition from the Sierra Club as the impact on the environment would be disastrous and the building of a second 91 freeway was killed by Southern Pacific when they stated they would not allow the building over their right-of-way.

As for the cities in this project, Irvine has been wanting a tunnel for the longest time. Former Irvine mayor and holder of engineering degrees from both UCI and USC Bill Vardoulis is a major supporter of the TriTunnel design. As his plans indicate the tunnel will not only deliver an additional source of water from Riverside for South Orange County, the flow of the water will also generate an additional 14 megawatts of hydroelectric power. As with all projects in the OC, a large chunk of federal money was secured to study the feasibility of Vardoulis’ project.

Let’s get some real mass transportation in the works. Anaheim