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TOLL ROAD AGENCY APPEALS COASTAL COMMISSION DECISION
Extension of 241 Toll Road merits consistency decision
IRVINE, Calif. (February 8, 2008) – The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) announced today that they have filed an appeal to the decision by the California Coastal Commission, which objected to the coastal consistency certification for the 16-mile Toll Road completion in South Orange County on February 6.
The 2-8 vote followed a lengthy hearing in front of a packed audience estimated at more than 2,000 people. The toll road agency sought the certification as part of a permitting process leading to construction of the final segment of Orange County's 67-mile toll road system.
"We are very disappointed that the Coastal Commission failed to recognize the years of study that have gone into this roadway's planning and design to protect the environment and valuable state park and coastal resources," said Lance MacLean, chairman of the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Agency.
Five hundred supporters for the toll road extension turned out for the hearing. "We want to thank the thousands of people who wrote letters and e-mailed the Coastal Commission supporting the 241 extension," he said.
The appeal was filed with the U.S. Department of Commerce. Under the federal Coastal Zone Management Act, the Secretary of the Department of Commerce has the authority to override the Coastal Commission’s objection to the consistency certification if the Secretary finds that the Project is consistent with the objectives and purposes of the federal Coastal Zone Management Act or is necessary in the interest of national
security. The federal regulations establish a 235 day deadline for the Secretary's consideration of the TCA's appeal.
The appeal states that "The limited negative environmental effects of the Project are more than offset by environmental benefits and, in any case, the Project’s furtherance of the national interest strongly outweighs any adverse effect."
The 16-mile alignment was selected after exhaustive study and a collaborative effort by local, state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Highway Administration, Caltrans, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and TCA. The group met more than 50 times over six years. The recommendation on the alignment by the state and federal transportation and environmental agencies in the collaborative was unanimous.
Studies show that the project is needed to relieve traffic if the economy, environment and quality of life to the region are to be maintained. Traffic forecasts for the year 2025 estimate a 60 percent increase in traffic at the Orange/San Diego County line, which would transform the current commute of 25 minutes into more than an hour.
Independent scientific studies also confirmed that the roadway will have negligible impact on San Onofre State Beach Park and the surfing break at Trestles Beach, although opponents claimed otherwise.
The 241 Toll Road extension has been the subject of regional planning efforts for decades. It is a critical component of the approved regional transportation plans and transportation improvement programs of Southern California.
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