Caltrans as to why certain projects, including SR 76, had not been started. In the meantime, the Oceanside Development Agency recommended that the new highway be extended west to Pacific Street to aid in redeveloping the downtown area. The San Diego Regional Coastal Commission disagreed with constructing the highway, among other development proposals for downtown Oceanside, due to concerns about destroying habitat along the river and the marsh areas. Soon after, in October 1980, the California Coastal Commission recommended removing the realignment of the freeway from plans entirely, on environmental grounds. Widening and realignment In 1983, the introduction of a federal gasoline tax of five cents per gallon (one cent per liter) added more funding to complete projects in San Diego County, among other places. From that revenue, $5 million (about $ in dollars) was allocated to rebuilding the Bonsall bridge and realigning the highway. Issues cited with the old bridge included the sharp turns at either end and its narrow width, though some members of the community hoped that the old bridge would remain standing as a historical landmark, and a pedestrian bridge. County Supervisor Paul Eckert commissioned a campaign to leave the bridge standing a week later. Plans to replace the bridge were delayed by April, due to issues acquiring the land necessary for the new bridge. Caltrans tentatively approved the westernmost of the SR 76 widening project in May, while noting that there were several more steps in the legal process necessary before construction began. Two years later, concerns were expressed by environmental groups over the potential destruction of the habitat of the least Bell's vireo songbird by the construction of SR 76 and other projects in the region. In 1986, the bird was added to the federal endangered species register. The next year, the Oceanside Jaycees group collected 12,000 signatures supporting the construction of the freeway immediately. At that time, the fatality rate on SR 76 was 222 percent above that of any other state highway in California. The petitions were given to the office of then-Governor George Deukmejian. In November 1987, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved the project, on condition that Caltrans purchase more land to set up habitat for environmental mitigation. Funds for the new Bonsall bridge were approved by the California Transportation Commission (CTC) in October 1988, and construction was scheduled to begin in early 1989. In November 1989, the California