High Desert Corridor Rail Project
March 6, 2021 - West Mojave Desert, Calif. - While the freeway portion of this massive project has been withdrawn due largely to veichle emissions issues, the high-speed rail portion may be moving forward. See San Bernardino County's plans.
High Desert Corridor Freeway Halted
October 6, 2019 - We are happy to pass on the news from the Los Angeles Times that the West Mojave Desert Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County proposal for a giant freeway from Lancaster to Victorville and Apple Valley has been on hold indefinitely. A lack of funding and a lawsuit did the project in. We wrote comments on this, opposing it for a number of reasons.
The freeway originally also included a high-speed rail along with the freeway, as well as solar energy panels along the sides of the wide right-ofway. The sprawling freeway project would include eight lanes, and bulldoze through Joshua tree woodland, desert vernal pools, tortoise habitat, and areas where rare Coast hormed lizards (Phrynosoma coronatum) come down from the San Gabriel Mountains into the Mojave Desert. In addition, the freeway and rail line would cross over the Mojave River in areas where riparian birds nest--Western yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) and others.
Plus, towns and communities would have been greatly impacted, including a very large number of eminent domains of houses and farmland proposed. And of course climate change impacts would be large, from a new freeway with high-speed traffic replacing a country lane.
The high speed rail element, however, may be allowed to continue, and funding could be used from Measure M to build it. Therefore desert defenders should still be vigilant in watching for eminent domain and a rail project through senstive desert resources.
