Day’s Dreary, but Debut Isn’t

NEWPORT BEACH —  After years of protests and legal battles, the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor opened shortly after midnight Wednesday, drawing thousands of Thursday-morning commuters who took advantage of the introductory free ride.

Despite a handful of sign-toting opponents and rain that contributed to at least 14 accidents, most of the motorists sliced through at high speed--in dramatic contrast to fellow travelers crawling bumper-to-bumper along the waterlogged San Diego Freeway.

“I’m absolutely ecstatic” by the turnout, said Paul Glaab, a spokesman for the Transportation Corridor Agencies, which built and operates the highway. “We anticipated a good response, but not to this degree. There’s been a steady flow of traffic since 6 a.m.”

Based on early counts, agency officials predicted that as many as 80,000 cars would use the road on its first day--10,000 more than the daily average of paying customers projected by the end of next year.

Michael Johnson, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol, described the traffic flow as generally “very smooth.” And it had a side benefit: improved flow on the Santa Ana Freeway.

“I’m like a little kid with a new toy,” said Collene Campbell, former mayor of San Juan Capistrano and a member of the corridor agency’s board, who drove along part of the road Thursday morning. “I can’t get the smile off my face.”

The 15-mile toll road, which roughly parallels Interstate 5 and the San Diego Freeway between San Juan Capistrano and Newport Beach, is expected to cut at least in half a commute that otherwise takes between 45 and 90 minutes. Traveling on the $1.5-billion road is free of charge through the weekend. Tolls beginning Sunday night will range from 25 cents to $2 depending on where one enters or exits.

Not everyone had smiles on their faces for Thursday’s opening, however.

“It’s upsetting to me,” said Lida Lenney, former mayor of Laguna Beach and a longtime opponent of the toll road. “I hope the people who use the road think it’s worth it, because it’s not a free ride.” At Laguna Canyon Road, where environmentalists once chained themselves to bulldozers to prevent workers from cutting the swath in the wilderness through which the road runs, a handful of protesters at an onramp waved signs bearing slogans such as “Dead End.”

It was in 1993 that environmental activists first began actively trying to halt work on the project. Activists also filed an array of legal challenges, trying to block the project on the grounds that it would adversely affect some communities and seriously damage the environment of Laguna Canyon.

In the end, though, all the protests and legal challenges failed to prevent Thursday’s opening, held three months ahead of schedule.

Some commuters counted themselves among the discontented. One man, driving from Laguna Hills to Costa Mesa, said that bottlenecks near MacArthur Boulevard and Jamboree Road slowed his trip considerably.

“It clearly saves time,” said the motorist, who didn’t want his name used, “but not anywhere near what’s being advertised.”

For many, though, the opening brought relief.

“I think it’s fantastic,” Rocci Della Maggiore, a computer technician driving from his home in Laguna Niguel to work in Irvine. “This will cut a good 15 [to] 20 minutes per day each way. I’ll spend the extra time with my wife and kids.”

Pam Halpern, a legal investigator from Laguna Beach, enjoyed the ride for another reason: its natural beauty. “This is very scenic,” she said.

According to Peter Buffa, mayor of Costa Mesa and chairman of the corridor agency’s board, the new toll road, only the second to be built in California in 50 years, is an indication of things to come.

“It’s historic,” he said of the new road. “When you look at this project, you’re really getting a peak at the future.”

Indeed, some commuters said that their initial opposition has given way to more practical considerations.

“I was sad about cutting through undeveloped wilderness,” said Cheryl Dwyer of Mission Viejo. “Now that it’s here, though, I plan to use it.”