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TOLL ROAD AGENCY APPROVES EIR, SELECTS FOOTHILL-SOUTH ALIGNMENT
Board approves recommended alignment as best option to relieve traffic with least environmental, community impacts
Next Steps l Staff Presentation
IRVINE, Calif.
(Feb. 23, 2006) – The Board of Directors of the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency today approved a recommended 16-mile alignment for the last segment of the Foothill (241) Toll Road and certified the adequacy of the project’s final Environmental Impact Report. The Board agreed with preliminary determinations made by federal agencies that the locally preferred alignment is the ‘least environmentally damaging, practicable alternative’ of the eight toll road and non-toll road alternatives studied in the environmental document.
“This is a monumental step toward improving mobility in Orange County and throughout Southern California,” said Ken Ryan, Chairman of the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Agency, which oversees the 241, 261, and 133 Toll Roads in Orange County. “We’re confident that after years of careful analysis, extensive public input, and working closely with federal and state stakeholders, that we have a balanced project that will improve traffic, be compatible with the environment, and does not disrupt homes or businesses.”
Studies show that the four-lane road, located east of San Clemente and connecting to I-5 near Basilone Road, will significantly reduce I-5 traffic congestion and cut rush-hour commute times on I-5. If nothing is done, future traffic on I-5 at the Orange/San Diego county line is expected to increase 60%, leading to weekend I-5 traffic that would rival the level of weekday traffic today on the 91 Freeway.
Highlights of the final EIR include:
- Significant traffic relief. Foothill-South will reduce the number of congested I-5 freeway segments by 70% and reduce the number of congested intersections in South County cities by 50%. Traffic analysis for 2025 shows that with Foothill-South as an alternative route, it would take an estimated 25 minutes to drive from Oso Parkway to the county line on the I-5 during the peak evening commute compared to one hour without Foothill-South. If drivers chose to take Foothill-South, it would take drivers an estimated 16 minutes to travel the same distance on the toll road.
- Maximize open space and wildlife connectivity. The location of the road is compatible with the Rancho Mission Viejo development plans approved by the County of Orange. The road is located within or near planned development areas, preserving large blocks of open space to the east of the development and allowing for wildlife connectivity to the Cleveland National Forest.
- Avoidance of sensitive wetlands and habitat areas. The alignment has been designed to avoid highly sensitive wetlands areas and has been refined over the years to reduce wetlands impacts from 17 acres to less than one acre. The road was also adjusted to avoid known occupied habitat areas for the Pacific pocket mouse and arroyo toad. Coastal sage scrub habitat that is impacted by the project will be mitigated through restoration and preservation at the Upper Chiquita Conservation Area and other locations.
The document also identifies 185 mitigation measures to offset direct and indirect project impacts during and after construction. Key mitigation measures and project design features include:
- Wildlife. Fifteen wildlife crossings (bridges and culverts) will be built along the alignment so that natural wildlife corridors are preserved. This is a 50% increase from the number
proposed in the draft environmental document. The wildlife crossings, in conjunction with the location of the corridor closer to planned RMV development areas, allows for the preservation of 13,500 acres of contiguous open space and wildlife movement to the east.
- Water quality. The construction of 12 detention basins along the toll road will capture and treat the “first-flush” storm water runoff from the road. In addition, approximately 5 million gallons of runoff from a two-mile segment of I-5 that currently flows untreated into San Onofre and San Mateo Creeks, will be captured and treated. Additional sediment flow analysis of the San Mateo Watershed and an independent study of the waves at Trestles beach show that the toll road will have no measurable impact to wave energy at Trestles.
- Noise. Construction of two soundwalls – one between the toll road and Cristianitos Road to address noise impacts at the San Mateo Campground and another at the interchange of the toll road and Avenida Pico in San Clemente.
- Views. The alignment is designed behind a natural ridgeline to block most views from the Talega community in San Clemente.
NEXT STEPS
Over the next year, the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency will begin the process of obtaining a number of state and federal permits, agreements, and approvals. Additionally, the Agency will develop specific mitigation plans, pursue right-of-way acquisitions with landowners, and determine a finance plan to fund road construction. The earliest estimate for construction is 2008-2009 with the road opening to traffic by 2011-2012.
About Foothill-South
Foothill-South is the final segment of Orange County's planned
67-mile toll road system. The
project has been the subject of regional planning efforts since 1981. Since 1996, TCA has worked with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), Caltrans, and Marine Corps Base-Camp Pendleton to determine the project’s purpose and need and to identify and evaluate project alternatives to relieve traffic in South Orange County. More information about Foothill-South can be found online at www.foothill-south.com.
The Toll Roads are operated by the Foothill/Eastern and San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA), two joint powers authorities formed in 1986 to plan, finance, construct, and operate Orange County's 67-mile public toll road system. Fifty-one miles of the system are complete, including the San Joaquin Hills ( 73) Toll Road from Newport Beach to San Juan Capistrano; and the Foothill (241) and Eastern (241, 261, and 133) Toll Roads from the 91 Freeway to south Orange County. Nearly 300,000 trips are taken on The Toll Roads every weekday, saving drivers an average of 21 minutes per trip.
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