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TOLL AGENCY BOARD HEARS 100 SPEAKERS ABOUT PROPOSED FOOTHILL-SOUTH PROJECT
Board agrees to close public comment period, continue meeting until Jan. 19
MISSION VIEJO, Calif. (Jan. 12, 2005) -- The Board of Directors of the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency, which oversees the 241, 261, and 133 Toll Roads, listened to approximately 100 people who commented about the Foothill-South project, the last 16-mile segment of the 241 Toll Road. The Board agreed to continue the meeting until Jan. 19, at which time a vote will be scheduled to certify the Final Environmental Impact Report and choose a locally preferred alternative.
“We heard a lot of good input today and we look forward to making a decision that responds to the need to improve mobility and be environmentally sensitive,” said Ken Ryan, Chairman of the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency and Yorba Linda city council member.
Approximately 450 people attended the Board meeting held at Mission Viejo City Hall. The meeting began with a presentation by TCA staff about the recommended route, which would complete the Foothill (241) Toll Road from its current end at Oso Parkway to the I-5 south of San Clemente. Of the 231 people who completed speaker request forms, 155 indicated support for the project, 72 indicated opposition, and four did not indicate a position. The staff report and presentation are available online at – http://www.thetollroads.com/home/about_meeting.htm.
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 habitat areas for wildlife species such as the Pacific pocket mouse and arroyo toad, and to avoid sensitive wetlands.
NEXT STEPS
The Board will consider the recommended Foothill-South alternative and certification of the final EIR at their next meeting, 9:30 a.m. Jan. 19, at Mission Viejo City Hall, 200 Civic Center. The Foothill/Eastern Board of Directors’ certification of the Final Environmental Impact Report and the selection of a locally preferred alternative is a key step under state environmental regulatory 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. More information – www.foothill-south.com.
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.
A Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (EIS/SEIR) was circulated for public review from May to August 2004, evaluating six toll road alternatives, two non-toll road alternatives including widening the I-5 and city streets, and two ‘no build’ scenarios.
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. 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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