Editor:

Your article on the 101 safety corridor improvement project ("Building a Better Corridor," Sept. 5) was very informative. Thank you.

I'm writing on behalf of myself and five other Manila and Bayside residents. Many of us are concerned about the impact this project may have on our community. Presently there are drivers who use Highway 255, which bisects our community, in part to avoid the current lower speed limits on 101. We worry that the proposed stop light at Airport Road for northbound traffic may also result in drivers opting to use 255 to avoid the possible delays a light might cause.

Redesigning 101 to improve safety for this stretch of highway is assuredly complicated. We don't feel that Caltrans has come up with the best solution. It has not provided a safe bicycle/pedestrian trail. It has not taken into account the impacts on 255 and the community of Manila. It has not addressed, with the county, the increased traffic and speeds along Old Arcata Road that most likely will result with the closing of the Bayside cutoff: More drivers will use Old Arcata Road to access the proposed Indianola interchange. In addition it proposes the filling of 10.3 acres of wetland.

With a different set of criteria, one that includes bicyclists/pedestrians, the bayside communities of Bayside and Manila, the importance of preserving wetlands, and other considerations, we believe Caltrans can come up with a better solution.

Nancy Ihara, Manila