Six lanes in lieu of four for SR76's final link

The front page article of the Aug. 5 Village News quotes Caltrans as projecting an additional $100M if the Southern Route were to be implemented for SR76’s final link. If accepted at face value, that may be the case pending final cost estimates of the North versus South routes. However, what is overlooked is that by implementing the Southern Route, our community would gain six lanes instead of four.

By retaining two lane SR76 route as a frontage road and building out the four-lane Southern Alternative, Caltrans would gain six lanes (two existing plus four new) for east/west traffic flow. The Southern Alternative would also provide expansion potential for two additional lanes as opposed to the Northern Route that is restricted to four lanes with no future expansion. Seems like a bargain to me.

We all know that almost as soon as new roadways are constructed they become obsolete and overcrowded. So, even though there may be additional costs, the Southern Alternative provides us with more opportunity for future growth by immediately providing us with six lanes. At the same time, it assures better safety and access to the Fallbrook community by keeping the existing SR76 (Pala Road) as a frontage road.

James Sadler