BOB WILSON, Valley Press Staff Writer
February 6, 2005
TUNNEL VISION
Private toll roads, tunnels may aid commuter traffic
The Details: The proposed Palmdale-Glendale connection would consist of about 5 miles of surface road plus two tunnels: one about 5 miles long and the other about 11 miles long. To maximize efficiency, a pair of tunnels, each 47 feet in diameter, should be dug. Instead of allowing two lanes in each direction for both trucks and cars, one tunnel could accommodate six lanes - three each way - for cars and light trucks only, while the second tunnel could accommodate two lanes - one each way - for large buses and trucks only.
 
PALMDALE- Representatives of a Los Angeles think tank, the Reason Foundation, hope to convince state legislators and municipal officials that toll-way projects are the solution to California's gridlocked freeways. By 2030, experts expect the state's population to grow from 34 million to 50 million, with most of those new residents settling near Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. Because the Antelope Valley is one of the few remaining areas of L.A. County where growth can be accommodated, it probably will double its current population, Passantino, the director of government affairs for the Reason Foundation, said.
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"And we've got one basic corridor into Los Angeles," the AV Freeway, Passantino said. According to a 2003 report by Alfred Gobar Associates, 52,380 commuters squeeze onto the AV Freeway twice each weekday.
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