I want to ask you to step back in time with me to the 1950s. A time when the governor of California had a vision to build a highway system composed of eight-lane freeways, an extension of the planned Interstate Highway System. Can you imagine today’s critics yelling about eight-lane freeways in 1957? “Who in the world would use them, we don’t need them now,” the critics would cry. After all, California had less than 10 million residents in those days versus the 35 million we have today. But Gov. Brown Sr. had the vision to see their value for the future of this state. Can you imagine where California would be today if many of those freeways had been built with just four lanes? Or not built at all?
So I ask you to remember that when we discuss transportation projects — highways, passenger rail, mass transit and airports — we’re talking about a system that will serve future generations for decades to come. It isn’t a question of whether we need it today or not. It’s a question of what future generations will need tomorrow. We need to build clean capacity.
Thanks for your comments. I hope this blog was informative and stimulating for all of you.
— JOHN CHALKER