Unanimous vote moves Highway 86 project forward

Public Record, The, Feb 07, 1997 by Singer, Alan

SACRAMENTO--A unanimous "yes" vote by all eight current members of the California Transportation Commission to condemn land owned by Harold and William Jenkins in the Oasis area of the Valley, has moved the Highway 86 Project forward.

Before the CTC's crucial vote (January 29), a failure to achieve at least six "yes" votes would have meant at least a two-year delay to widen the highway from two to four lanes. The Jenkins' had requested that CalTrans officials push the proposed alignment of the Highway 86 Project between Avenue 81 and Avenue 82 up to 300 feet to the east, away from their recreational vehicle park.

At its' December meeting held in San Bernardino, the CTC voted 5-3 for the condemnation action.

At the January meeting Commissioners Jerry Epstein and David Fleming changed their previous "nay votes" to "yea." Recently re-appointed Commissioner Robert Wolf of Riverside, considered to be a longtime supporter of the Highway 86 Project, also voted "yea" at the Sacramento hearing.

State Senator David Kelley (R-Idyllwild) said the voted taken last year "came as a surprise" (The Public Record, January 24, 1997).

Kelley said he expected "pressure" to come from "a lot of people" from both Riverside and Imperial counties, concerning the latest commission vote.

The Senator was unable to personally attend the CTC's January 29 meeting because he was recuperating at Loma Linda University Medical Center following surgery to alleviate complications resulting from a bout with viral pneumonia.

Nancy Newbill, chief of staff for Senator Kelley, said "he was thrilled" after being informed of the unanimous Commission vote.

"He has put so many hours and love into seeing this come to fruition," Newbill told The Public Record.

Newbill began working for Kelley in 1978, when he was first elected to the State Assembly, representing a district that covered portions of Riverside, Imperial and San Diego Counties. In those days Highway 86 carried the infamous moniker, "The Killer Highway."

"Even back the, he was trying to get Highway 86 upgraded, to make it four lanes," Newbill recounted.

"Before the CTC's vote was taken, some members of the Highway 86 Coalition stopped by the office and said someone was killed on the highway, just the night before," Newbill remarked.

Senator Kelley spoke with as many Commissioners as she could before the critical vote, she said.

Newbill personally delivered a letter from Senator Kelley to the Commissioners urging them "to act with all the due diligence to approve the current alignment necessary for the third construction phase of Highway 86."

"I hand-carried it to the meeting room, with copies," she stated. "Commissioner Wolf told me that the letter would be read at the appropriate time."

A source close to the Commission proceedings told the The Public Record that the Jenkins' would be "adequately compensated" for the condemnation of their property. That figure remains to be disclosed. When the actual condemnation takes place, it will be up to CalTrans officials.