CALIFORNIA - City officials in Placentia are up in arms over a proposal to separate almost all the roads and rails in the town at once, saying it would strangle commerce and commuter traffic through the city for years.

Fullerton officials, meanwhile, will vote on whether to oppose the plan next week.

The Orange County Transportation Authority's Highway Committee directed staff to examine the possibility of building - all at once - grade separations where roads and railroads meet at seven locations in east Fullerton and Placentia.

Following the proposal, construction would be under way at several of the major roadways linking Brea, La Habra, and Yorba Linda to the southern destinations.

The intersections in question are all along Orangethorpe Avenue.

City officials say the plan would virtually chop Placentia in half and drive 120,000 vehicle trips per day to congested intersections.

"How could any board member sit there and look at a map and do this?" said Placentia City Councilman Scott Nelson in a phone interview. "Raymond, State College, Placentia Avenue, Kraemer, Rose/Tustin and Lakeview - major north-south arterials - would all be closed.

"In addition, the grade separation at Orangethorpe would also be done, creating stoppage to back up the major east-west arterial," Nelson added in an email. "This would almost spell certain death for many businesses along and around Orangethorpe Avenue in the cities of Anaheim, Placentia and Fullerton."