Opinion: After Carmageddon: Bad ‘Karma-geddon’
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Carmageddon, for most, means two dreadful weekends of gridlock or, alternatively, another reason to mock Los Angeles. For people who live or commute near the Sepulveda Pass, though, the issue hits closer to home. As the editorial board notes in its Saturday editorial:
[F]or the legions of drivers who use the Mulholland Drive bridge that straddles the freeway in the Sepulveda Pass, another battle will begin Monday morning. Think ‘Bad Karma-geddon’: Motorists will slog along a roadway reduced from four lanes to two as one side is demolished and then the other. This will continue over two years of construction to alter the bridge for the widened freeway.
The project didn’t have to become such a nightmare for commuters, Sam Allen and Ari Bloomekatz pointed out in a July 10 article. An alternative bridge plan, which could have saved money and lessened traffic woes, was abandoned in the face of opposition by some residents and community groups.
Why? Because the proposed alternative was unaesthetic. On the other hand, ‘There’s nothing uglier than cars parked on the 405,’ one editorial writer protested during a board meeting this week. Then again, argued another board member, L.A. isn’t the most beautiful city in the world, and we should preserve what makes it special. ‘Can we stop calling this a bridge?’ asked another. ‘It’s a freeway overpass.’
It’s a unique debate when you take into consideration the subtle difference between the understated, almost unremarkable bridge that exists and the alternative that was proposed. As the discussion continued throughout the week, so too did some amusing emails pointing to noteworthy bridges ranging from the ridiculous and ugly to the beautiful, award-winning and extraordinary.
So, where did the editorial board end up? Read on to find out.
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