Will the TCA Learn?
By Dale Tyler

The Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA) suffered another major defeat this past Wednesday, February. 6, when the California Coastal Commission voted 8-2 not to approve the TCA's plans to extend their private toll road to connect with I-5 in northern San Diego County through San Onofre State Park. Many people were present at the meeting, with some estimates placing the number in excess of 2,000. While many were on the pro-tollroad side, the anti-tollroad side carried the day through better arguments and fewer misleading statements. The key question is whether the TCA will learn from this loss or not.

One of the things that struck me about the pro-tollroad arguments was the number of outright lies and deliberately deceptive statements used to try and prove their points. For example, the TCA claimed that nearly 1,200 properties would have to be taken to widen the I-5 if the toll road was not built. Yet, the OCTA and an independent study both showed that the number was approximately 100 in the worst case and that far fewer might actually be needed.

Another lie told by TCA representative Lance MacLean was that the TCA was putting up $100 million to fund the re-lease or purchase of San Onofre State Beach when the lease expires in approximately 10 years. However, under questioning by the Coastal Commission board, it was revealed that the prior lease cost $1, and there was no reason whatsoever to expect that the next renewal would be for any amount other than $1. So, the TCA claimed to be this altruistic organization spending the colossal amount of $100,000,000 when, in fact, they would likely have to spend only $1. Even MacLean, who is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, should know the difference. He probably thought the voters were too dumb to notice.

In any case, the TCA now has a choice: continue to try and bully and lie its way into building the currently planned road or come up with an alternative. The TCA claims “there are no other places to put a road in that area.” Maps I have seen from OCTA show a number of possible routes for new roadways in south Orange County. In fact, if one believes the TCA's ludicrous claim, then we better not grant any more permits to build houses, because one of the required elements for those permits is adequate roadways in the area.

One idea that has been supported in the NewsBlog and elsewhere is that we should extend the 241 from Oso to approximately Ortega Highway and then build the proposed Cow Camp Road extension to I-5 near CA-73/Avery Parkway. This extension is already being planned and needs to be completed to allow the proposed 14,000 homes in Rancho Mission Viejo access to I-5 and points north. If the 241 connects to that road, then the residents of south Orange County will also have a way to get to Riverside.

We have discussed this matter at length in past NewsBlog issues. (link here and here) However, the idea is easy to grasp with a simple thought experiment. Imagine yourself as a resident of Rancho Mission Viejo or southern Ladera or northern San Clemente. Now, think about the places you likely want to get to and ask yourself this question: which would be more useful, a road leading from Antonio and Ortega directly to the I-5 with no stoplights, or a road going south to I-5 at San Onofre? If one analyzes the most popular destinations likely to be needed by those people, it becomes immediately clear that the shorter route to I-5 serves more of their needs. This is what the TCA should remember when building the 241. A road that does not best serve the transportation needs of residents should not be granted special access through parks and other sensitive areas, although this is exactly what the 241, as proposed, would do. It is a poorly planned road that does not really serve the needs of the citizens of Orange County. I am glad it was defeated on that basis alone, not to mention the lying that went along with it.

There will be opposition to any roadways being built. I'm sure some people in Ladera and other areas near Ortega and Antonio Parkway will complain about a relatively large (eight lane) road passing near their property. We must do all we can to minimize the impact of such a large road on the environment and local residents. Perhaps we may even have to buy some houses that would be in the path of the new road. If the use of eminent domain is required, then it is important to remember that this is a purpose set out in the U.S. Constitution as embodied in the Takings clause of the Fifth Amendment and extended to the States in the 14th Amendment. Private properties may only be taken for a large public benefit. If properties must be taken, there have been proposals to modify state law to make sure that the property owners receive more than just the actual monetary cost of their property, but also an amount to compensate them for the sacrifice they are making for their community. Hopefully, this would lessen the resistance by those most affected and allow the project to move forward quickly.

The TCA needs to work with OCTA and Caltrans to plan and build Cow Camp as soon as possible. They should give the OCTA a large sum to help enable construction of Cow Camp, since the TCA will benefit from its construction. At the same time, the TCA can begin the work to extend the 241 only to Cow Camp and thus provide a much better transportation improvement than the full extension of the 241 to I-5 at a much lower cost to TCA and the environment.