Toll Road Hearing Set for July 25
Editorial staff

The Department of Commerce will hear the Transportation Corridor Agency’s appeal on Fri., July 25, at the UCI Bren Center in Irvine regarding the proposed 241 extension. The initial request from TCA was to shut out the public by holding the appeal privately. The TCA hopes to overturn the Coastal Commission’s February decision to reject Consistency Certification of the 241 South Toll Road Project.

Community groups including Friends of the Foothills and Save San Onofre Coalition are organizing their supporters to attend the hearing. Michael Fitts, the staff attorney for Endangered Habitats League, spoke at a Volunteer Mobilization meeting in San Clemente on June 30 on alternatives to completion of the toll road. Prior to introducing Fitts, one of the organizers announced, “If anyone is here from the TCA to see what we’re doing, you don’t need to spy on us. We’re doing the same things we did at the hearing in Del Mar.” Residents were urged to attend the July 25 hearing and express their opinion in person so that the Department of Commerce can see how many people are invested in protecting a popular state beach and pristine watershed.

Residents acknowledge the need to relieve traffic congestion, but they disagree on how much relief the proposed 241 extension would provide. Blog publisher Dale Tyler wrote an editorial on Jan. 19 explaining why the southern half of the extension (running south from Ortega to the I-5 near San Onofre State Beach) isn’t a good choice. Here’s an excerpt from his editorial:

“The south section of the 241 is the controversial part and will carry very little traffic. How many people will want to use the 241 to get from San Diego County to Riverside? If the real traffic need is for flow north, then why is the TCA proposing building the southern section of the 241 extension? The answer is simple: money and power. If the 241 does not connect to I-5, the TCA apparently believes that traffic and tolls will be much lower, despite common sense evidence to the contrary. The TCA staff members probably also think they gain more prestige by having a road that connects two other major highways, I-5 and CA-55. In fact, considering the extra costs of building the southern section that will get little use, they are probably endangering their bond holders by adding the southern section. One possible answer to this is the ability to force the I-5 to remain congested by invoking the non-compete agreement with OCTA. In this way, traffic on I-5 will be so bad that the TCA hopes people will bypass the I-5 and take their toll road instead. Once again, this shows that the TCA staff and shills do not care about transportation, but merely about the profits from their toll road.”

Several Mission Viejo residents attended the July 1 meeting in San Clemente. They said audience members included a wide range of South County citizens including environmentalists as well as others who want to see real solutions to traffic problems instead of enriching developers.

The time and agenda of the July 25 hearing in Irvine are to be announced. To connect with volunteers who will attend the hearing, email robin.everett@sierraclub.org.