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TOLL AGENCY BOARD POSTPONES DECISION ON FOOTHILL-SOUTH
FOR ONE MONTH
At request of state officials, Board will meet Feb. 23 to certify
environmental impact report and choose preferred toll road route
MISSION VIEJO, Calif. (Jan. 19, 2006) -- The Board
of Directors of the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency,
which oversees the 241, 261, and 133 Toll Roads, voted 12-3 to postpone
a decision on the last segment of the Foothill (241) Toll Road for
30 days, at the request to two Schwarzenegger Administration officials.
The Board agreed to continue the meeting until Feb. 23 at the TCA
offices in Irvine, at which time a vote will be scheduled to certify
the Final Environmental Impact Report for and choose a locally preferred
alternative.
"After 24 years of careful evaluation, the Board is ready to make
a decision," said Ken Ryan, Chairman of the Foothill/Eastern Transportation
Corridor Agency and a Yorba Linda City Council Member. "But in the
spirit of cooperation we've agreed to the 30-day continuance and
look forward to the State's commitment to working toward resolving
concerns raised by some state departments and stakeholders. Consistent
with the Governor's recently announced transportation program, it
is critical that we reach an agreement that ensures continued mobility
for the people of California and continued health of the California
economy."
The letter, signed by Secretary Mike Chrisman of the California
Resources Agency and Secretary Sunne Wright McPeak of the Business,
Transportation, and Housing Agency, was sent to Chairman Ken Ryan
yesterday and distributed to Foothill/Eastern Board Members.
The recommended Foothill-South route would complete
the Foothill (241) Toll Road from its current end at Oso Parkway
to the I-5 south of San Clemente. In December, the Agency released
the Final Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (SEIR), which identified
the 'green' alignment - one of the six toll road and two non-toll
road project alternatives analyzed in the draft environmental document
- as the recommended preferred alternative. Several federal resource
agencies have made a preliminary determination that the green alignment
is the 'least environmentally damaging and practicable' alternative.
According to the Final EIR, the recommended alignment will reduce
the number of congested I-5 Freeway segments by 70% without removing
homes or businesses. If nothing is done, future traffic on I-5 at
the county line is expected to increase 60% at the Orange County/San
Diego County line, with weekend I-5 traffic rivaling the level of
weekday traffic today on the 91 Freeway. Traffic experts also estimate
a one-way trip between Oso Parkway and the county line during the
peak evening hours would take 25 minutes on the I-5 if Foothill-South
were built compared to one hour if the toll road was not built.
A trip on Foothill-South over the same distance during peak hours
would take an estimated 16 minutes.
The recommended alignment has also been adjusted to maximize open
space and preserve wildlife connectivity consistent with future
Rancho Mission Viejo development plans, avoid sensitive wetlands
and habitat areas for wildlife species such as the Pacific pocket
mouse and arroyo toad, and to avoid the San Mateo campground area.
NEXT STEPS
The 15-member Foothill/Eastern TCA Board will consider the recommended
Foothill-South alignment and certification of the final EIR on Thursday,
Feb. 23 at 9:30 a.m. at TCA's offices, 125 Pacifica in Irvine.
The Foothill/Eastern Board's certification of the
final EIR and the selection of a locally preferred alternative is
a key step under state environmental law. Once an alternative is
selected, the Agency must obtain additional approvals and permits
from various state and federal agencies and develop a plan of finance
before construction can begin. The estimated construction start
date is 2007-2008 with completion in 2010-2011.
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) and Caltrans as part of a comprehensive federal
environmental review process of project alternatives to relieve
traffic in South Orange County. This collaborative process includes
the Marine Corps-Camp Pendleton as a cooperating agency. More
information: www.foothill-south.com.
ABOUT TCA
The Toll Roads are operated by the Foothill/Eastern and San
Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA), 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.
The Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency
(F/ETCA) manages the 241, 261, and 133 Toll Roads. F/ETCA Member
Agencies consist of the cities of Anaheim, Dana Point, Irvine, Lake
Forest, Mission Viejo, Orange, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente,
San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Tustin, Yorba Linda, County of Orange
3rd, 4th and 5th Districts. Officials each member agency are appointed
to serve on the agency's Board of Directors. The Board makes major
decisions about construction, administration, and finances affecting
The Toll Roads. More information: www.thetollroads.com
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