An Independent Study
of the Tunnel Solution?
Citizens of San Mateo County's coastside have long been trying to get an
independent evaluation of the tunnel option for Highway 1 at Devil's Slide.
Here's an outline of events, including the latest developments:
- March 1995 -- County Supervisors Ted Lempert and Ruben Barrales
request CalTrans' cooperation in studying the feasibility of a tunnel at
Devil's Slide. CalTrans refuses
to cooperate without a vote of the full Board of Supervisors. The Board
voted 3-2 against studying the tunnel.
- April 1995 -- Mayor Barbara Carr of Pacifica, writing for a unanimous
City Council, requested Caltrans to supply all tunnel-related information
it had gathered since 1974. Caltrans responded with a total of four pages
of text and a single map.
- August 1995 -- Federal Highway Administration requires that an
updated environmental impact study of the proposed bypass inclued a study
of the tunnel.
- October 1995 -- The Board of Superviors unanimously
requests that the FHWA ensure that the tunnel study is comprehensive
and impartial. The Board specifically sets out desireable guidelines for
such a study.
- November 1995 -- In a letter prepared
in cooperation with Caltrans, FHWA places restrictions on the study
that seriously compromise its impartiality.
- December 1995 -- Federal Highways
(FHWA) responds to the Board of Supervisors. FHWA requires a 58 foot
minimum width.