Myth vs Reality Example right-aligned image

MYTH 1: The Redwood Grove project will help our economy, as evidenced by all the support from small businesses. Big Boxes will not be helped by this because they rely on their own smaller truck delivery system. CalTrans argues, contradictorily, that soon smaller trucks will no longer be available because only STAA trucks are being manufactured.

REALITY: The Economic Development Division of the County of Humboldt posted two short, on-line surveys to gather information regarding the economic impact of STAA trucking restrictions along Highway 101 at Richardson Grove.

CalTrans conducted a non-transparent Chico study, including an online poll, that purportedly demonstrated that the economy, and in particular, small businesses are currently out-competed due to higher trucking costs because STAA trucks can only use Richardson Grove with special waivers, currently given to some ranchers for cattle.

These studies never considered the economic impacts of opening up the southern route to the Oregon border for these larger trucks, which will service Big Box and other large franchise operations, such as Home Depot, here, and in Crescent City.

Ironically, most small businesses, including local truckers, will be out-competed in this scenario, not to mention the businesses in the Grove. Read more about economics.

MYTH 2: Products in Humboldt County will be substantially less expensive when larger trucks are used, because they can carry more goods in one load.

REALITY: All highway trucks are allowed the same maximum gross weight of 80,000 lbs.

However, the larger the truck, the heavier its empty weight, allowing it to carry less product weight.  For example, food products are heavy and reach their maximum weight before they fill their cubic space.  This is why Safeway and Costco use 48’ trailers and Winco uses 53’ trailers.  All use tractors (cabs) that are short enough to accommodate the longer trailer lengths legally. The larger, heavier trucks will result in MORE expense.

Costco, Safeway and Winco are the largest importers of the most frequently imported products - food.  These stores use smaller tractors to accommodate the longer trailers legally, and will therefore not need, nor benefit from, the CalTrans Project. Creameries everywhere routinely employ 45-48 ft trailers because these trailers accommodate the weight in the smaller, lighter space, which translates into economic and ecological efficiency.

Gasoline, diesel and propane are other imported products that attain their weight limit before their space limit. Same with building products, like cement, block, plywood, sheetrock etc. Light products can be shipped in the longer 48 and 53 foot trailers with the shorter, safer tractors, as currently utilized on the 62 other California state highways with similar restrictions as 101.

MYTH 3: STAA trucks are more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly.

REALITY: All trucks must comply with the same air quality regulations.

Smaller trucks, filled to the weight limit, are more efficient than larger, heavier trucks with a load that is at weight capacity but still leaves the truck partly empty. STAA trucks are inefficient carriers of heavy loads. For large, but relatively lighter loads, using smaller tractors to pull longer trailers is more efficient than employing the larger, heavier truck assemblies.

MYTH 4: The grove will suffer no adverse impacts.

REALITY:  CalTrans has not analyzed any of these effects, beyond mentioning their potential.  Old growth redwood tree roots extend 500 feet to communicate with neighboring trees, as they have no deep tap roots.  Root compression and exhaust will degrade the grove, as they have the trees all along the Highway of Giants.

Richardson Grove is federally designated Marbled Murrelet critical habitat. CalTrans plans to condect a two-year survey to monitor Marbled Murrelets and document their presence. However, these surveys will  not be conducted until the after the project is completed.

Other species of concern will also have to endure these improvements. This grove is the entrance to our county. CalTrans wants to speed along the passage when they should be encouraging drivers to simply slow down.

MYTH 5:The Caltrans proposal is environmentally sound.

REALITY:CalTrans has not offered evidence in the DEIR to support that statement. Road compaction has a detrimental impact on redwood tree root systems, and redwood specialists believe this may be a factor in the die-back we see among the redwoods along the Avenue of the Giants. The realignment proposal would move the road up to 17 feet into the Grove, raking away the layer of soil in which these intricate root systems thrive, most likely cutting life-giving roots and placing ancient trees even closer to the edge of the highway. Yet Caltrans wants to go ahead with the project, without research on the effects of such root-cutting on the health of our ancient redwoods.

We are only now beginning to comprehend the quantities of water released by trees and their contribution to the watershed—any trees we lose in this Grove are going to cause additional water loss for the Eel River. Can we afford further degradation with our current low flows?

Caltrans and the County Economic Development Office have repeatedly been unable to predict what the “improvement plan” will mean in terms of increased traffic through the Grove. This has not been sufficiently addressed in the DEIR (see comment letters).

Caltrans has included no plan to compensate Piercy Fire District for the impact of this project on local ability to respond to emergencies.

MYTH 6: Straightening the road will make this stretch of highway safer.

REALITY: CalTrans' own data reveal that inattention, due to alcohol, speed (both), drugs, and fatigue contribute to most accidents, and they concede that straightening some curves will have minimal impact on safety.  For 1% of the $6-10-million this project will cost, effective speed controls for the 1-2 miles thru the grove could be implemented. Simply slowing down would allow travelers to appreciate the sacredness of the Grove, and allow for a bike path which is precluded by this project. Read more about traffic and safety.

"While we respect those concerns we hope they come to realize that the road is actually wide enough to allow trucks with 48-foot trailers that have a kingpin to rear axle setting of 43 feet to pass safely through Richardson Grove, allowing Humboldt County producers to ship their product to market in a safe and timely manner," said Jorie Brundy.

Brundy is the president of the Humboldt/Del Norte California Cattlemen's Association and Humboldt's brand inspector for California Department of Food and Agriculture. Complete article is at Capitol Press

MYTH 7: STAA trucks are the future. Smaller trucks are being phased out.

REALITY:There will always be smaller trucks. There are 62 other state highways with similar restrictions to Highway 101 at Richardson Grove. Surface streets through our towns and cities can not safely accommodate STAA trucks. Smaller trucks will continue to be manufactured and widely used.

Non-STAA trailers are widely available.Missouri Great Dane offers a full line: “Sizes we carry include 48 ft. and 53 ft. for  all models of truck trailers, tractor trailers,  and semi trailers.  This also applies to their dry freight van,  reefer, and refrigerated trailers.” Source: http://www.missourigreatdane.com/gdflatbeds.htm

The future of transportation will trend toward alternative transportation modalities that are appropriate in scale to our economy and way of life, such as short-sea shipping using non-fossil fuels, or electric vehicles powered by our non-fossil generating capacities (all of which are on the horizon).

MYTH 8: There is no alternative to bigger trucks for goods movement.

REALITY: Although CalTrans offers no alternative to STAA trucks to move goods in and out of the County, there are preferable options available. For example, short-sea shipping, especially powered by locally generated, non-fossil fuels, is far more fuel efficient per ton-mile than long-haul trucking. A maritime highway servicing coastal communities from Seattle to the Mexican border, home-ported in Humboldt, is a feasible alternative that could meet almost all the needs of local businesses while developing our port facilities appropriately,  without flooding our highways with large diesel trucks. Read more about alternatives.

 

Slow Down Road widening is irreversible, why rush into anachronistic approaches that foreclose modern alternatives?

 

 

""An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it." Mahatma Gandhi.