Background
What is the Foothill-South project?
Foothill-South is the final 16-mile segment of the Foothill (241) Toll Road. It would extend the 241 south from its current end at Oso Parkway in Rancho Santa Margarita and connect to the I-5 near San Clemente.
What is the purpose of completing the 241?
Foothill-South, the final segment of the 241 Toll Road, will relieve traffic on I-5 and city streets. It will provide traffic relief, an alternate route through South Orange County and will be built with sensitivity to the environment including local parks and beaches. Foothill-South would complete Orange County’s 67-mile toll road system, the Foothill (241), Eastern (241, 261, and 133), and San Joaquin Hills (73) Toll Roads.
Who is planning the project?
The Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency (F/ETCA) is a public, not-for-profit agency governed by a Board of Directors of elected officials. The F/ETCA is one member of a group of federal, environmental and transportation agencies that have worked together since the mid ‘90s to determine the best alignment for the 241 extension and to plan for construction. Participants involved in the planning process include the F/ETCA, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, United States Marine Corps, United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Highway Administration and Caltrans.
When did planning begin?
The project has been on the Orange County Master Plan of Arterial Highways since 1981. After six years of analysis by federal resource agencies, an alignment was chosen in 2006 that accommodates the needs of the traveling public and also provides the most environmentally sensitive road possible. The Orange County Transportation Authority’s long-term plans assume that the 241 will be completed.
When will construction begin?
TCA is submitting applications for a number of federal and state approvals that must be obtained before construction may begin. Preliminary design work is underway now. The permit process is expected to take until at least 2010. Construction could begin as early as 2011 and will take three years to complete.
Were other alignments studied?
Six toll road alternatives and two non-toll road alternatives were analyzed in the draft environmental document, which was circulated for public review in 2004. The alignment selected by the resource agencies for construction passes through the west side of the Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy and the inland portion of the San Onofre State Beach Park before connecting to the I-5 near the Orange County/San Diego County line. It provides significant congestion relief on I-5 without removing any homes or businesses. Other alternatives required removal of more than 1,100 homes and businesses, had more severe environmental impacts or bisected the city of San Clemente. The analysis showed that if nothing is built, traffic will only continue to get worse on I-5 and motorists will be left without an alternative route through South Orange County.
Back to top
Traffic Relief
How will Foothill-South relieve
current and future traffic congestion in South Orange
County?
According to the final environmental analysis, peak I-5 traffic congestion in 2025 will be significantly reduced with Foothill-South, thereby improving overall local and regional mobility and access for people and goods. The number of congested I-5 Freeway segments will be reduced by 70% during the evening peak hours. The number of congested city-street intersections will be reduced by more than 50% during the evening peak hours.
If nothing is done, traffic will increase by 60% in 2025 at the Orange County/San Diego county line. By 2025, weekend traffic congestion at the OC/San Diego county line will rival that of the 91 Freeway if nothing is done.
Foothill-South will also provide an alternative route if the I-5 is shut down and provide an important alternative emergency evacuation route from San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Currently, the I-5 is the only highway route in and out of south Orange County.
Will Foothill-South reduce rush-hour traffic congestion on the I-5?
Yes. If nothing is done, traffic will increase 60 percent by 2025 at the Orange County/San Diego border and weekend traffic congestion at the county line will rival today’s congestion on the 91 Freeway. Completion of the 241 is expected to reduce travel time from the Orange County/San Diego border to Oso Parkway from one hour down to 25 minutes on I-5 or 16 minutes on the 241 during peak hours. Foothill-South will also provide a needed alternative to the I-5, which is currently the only highway route in and out of South Orange County.
Where will Foothill-South take me?
The completed 241 Toll Road will connect drivers
from San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, and San Diego
County to communities and job centers in Mission Viejo,
Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Forest, Irvine, Tustin,
Orange, Anaheim Hills, Yorba Linda, and the Inland Empire.
Completing the 241 will benefit all drivers throughout
the Southern California region – whether it's commuters
from the Inland Empire or commercial truck traffic from
San Diego – by providing a complete, congestion-free
option to the I-5 through Orange County. A completed
241 Toll Road will be especially vital when the I-5
is shut down or freeway traffic is heavily congested
in order to keep regional traffic and goods moving.
[Toll
Roads Map]
Will the Foothill-South/ I-5 connection create another “El Toro Y” congestion problem?
No. As part of the traffic and circulation technical analysis, a capacity evaluation was carried out for the connection that would be built between the Foothill-South toll road and I-5. The analysis was done to determine whether the connection would result in a congested interchange situation similar to the I-5/I-405 confluence prior to improvements that relieved the problem in 1996.
The preferred green alignment extends the 241 to I-5 at the north end of Camp Pendleton and will be designed like the 73 Toll Road, which does not cause a congestion problem as it merges with I-5. The project design includes a transition ramp that connects the two roads and is forecasted to operate at an acceptable level of service under long-range (2025) weekday traffic conditions. Also, the conceptual design for this connection avoids weaving or merging issues at existing I-5 interchanges north or south of the Foothill-South/I-5 confluence.
Back to top
Environmental Protection
How will wildlife and endangered
species be protected if Foothill-South is built?
The 241 was designed to avoid occupied habitat areas for the Pacific pocket mouse and areas of high Arroyo toad populations. For habitat areas that are impacted, such as coastal sage scrub, TCA is committed to providing mitigation areas.
The alignment is located within or next to Rancho Mission Viejo’s planned development areas, resulting in the preservation of large blocks of open space. By maximizing open space to the east, existing wildlife corridors connecting to the Cleveland National Forest will be preserved. Fifteen wildlife crossings (bridges and culverts) will be built along the toll road to allow for the safe movement of wildlife.
TCA has successfully restored or preserved more than 2,000 acres of sensitive habitat with construction of the existing toll road system, and was a major contributor to the existing Natural Communities Conservation Plan open space reserve in central and coastal Orange County.
How will TCA protect water
quality?
Completion of the 241 was planned with extraordinary attention to water quality. TCA developed a comprehensive runoff management plan to capture runoff. Water quality protections include the construction of large detention basins to collect runoff from the entire toll road, as well as a portion of the 5 Freeway, which currently has no water treatment in place.
How will Foothill-South affect the San Mateo Campground and San Onofre state park?
San Mateo campground was built in 1989, eight years after Foothill-South was placed on Orange County’s Master Plan of Arterial Highways. The route for Foothill-South does not remove or damage any campsites within the San Onofre State Park and is 385 feet from the closest campsite. In addition, the trail from San Mateo Campground to the beach will remain open during and after construction. Noise impacts from the road near the San Mateo campground will be offset by the construction of a sound wall. Presently there are campsites along I-5 that are as close as 225 feet to the freeway and have no sound walls.
Will the project impact Trestles Beach and the surf break?
Two independent scientific studies conducted by Skelly Geosoils, Inc. and RBF Consulting confirmed that there will be a negligible impact to the surf break at Trestles. Their reports analyzed the project’s potential impacts to the coastal surfing resources in the area. These studies concluded that there will be no effect in sediment movement, and thus no effect on the surf breaks due to the project. Foothill-South will not change the surf at Trestles. Foothill-South will bridge over the San Mateo Creek, allowing water to flow naturally as it does today with the existing I-5 freeway and railroad facilities.
Why does the Toll Road alignment go through the Donna O’Neill Conservancy?
The preferred alignment was adjusted to cross the western portion of the Donna O’Neill Conservancy to avoid wetlands and protect wildlife movement. It avoids highly sensitive wetland areas at the confluence of the Blind and Gabino Canyons and minimizes impacts to Cristianitos Canyon. It is located close to existing development areas such as the Talega development and within areas approved for development in the Rancho Mission Viejo Ranch Plan, endorsed by several environmental organizations. It also maximizes wildlife movement to the east. Federal resource agencies view the Conservancy as no more sensitive or valuable than the land surrounding it, and the benefit of adjusting the alignment to avoid nearby wetlands areas outweighed the importance of avoiding the Conservancy.
Back to top
Fiscal Responsibility
Does TCA have the financial
resources to build Foothill-South?
Yes. The Foothill/Eastern Agency, which would
be responsible for financing and building Foothill-South,
is exceeding revenue projections and is fiscally strong.
The Foothill/Eastern Agency has saved $80 million to
go toward the construction of Foothill-South and will
develop a finance plan to determine what mix of potential
federal funding and toll revenue bonds will be used
to pay for construction.
Will the tolls from Foothill-South
be enough to cover the construction costs?
As the final 16-mile leg of the Foothill (241)
Toll Road, Foothill-South is not designed as a self-funding
road. It will connect drivers to the existing 36-mile
Foothill/Eastern toll road system. Tolls from the entire
system will be used to repay the long-term construction
debt of the Foothill/Eastern Agency, including Foothill-South.
The toll rates for Foothill-South will be determined
once an alternative is chosen and a finance plan is
developed, but can be expected to be within the range of current mainline tolls.
Back to top
Managing Growth
Will Foothill-South promote
growth and urban sprawl?
Approval has already been granted for the Rancho Mission Viejo company to build 14,000 new homes and five million square feet of commercial space just north of San Clemente. According to population forecasts by the Center
for Demographic Research at Cal State Fullerton, Orange
County will add more that 500,000 people over the next
30 years. Traffic is expected to grow by 60 percent
over that same period so new roads and infrastructure
are needed to accommodate this growing population.
Foothill-South is the final piece of a 67-mile toll
road system that was planned more that 20 years ago
to accommodate the growing communities in south and
east Orange County. Foothill-South
and additional transportation improvement projects are needed to alleviate traffic congestion on existing
roads.
Will TCA’s non-compete
clause prevent Caltrans from improving I-5 in the future?
Any highway improvement project in the County's Master Plan of Arterial Highways, any planned Measure M project, and all projects necessary to improve public safety are exempt from TCA's non-compete clause. According to TCA's agreements with Caltrans, TCA does not have the authority to stop projects; the Agencies may only seek a limited amount of compensation for lost toll revenue if the Agencies cannot make its required bond payments. If the Foothill/Eastern Agency continues to exceed ridership and revenue projections, as it does today, the non-compete clause would NOT be triggered. Additionally, the non-compete clause expires in 2020. It would only be in place for the first few years Foothill-South is in operation.
Back to top
Decision-Making Process
When will Foothill-South be built?
TCA is working to secure the various state and federal permits required to complete the 241 Toll Road. Preliminary design work is underway. The construction start date is being evaluated as the project moves through the permitting process. Construction could begin as soon as 2011 and will take three years.
Why were these particular alignments
selected for study?
The Collaborative, which is made up of staff from TCA, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Highway Administration and Caltrans, selected the alternatives for further study in November 2000.
The Collaborative analyzed dozens of alternatives and alignments and refined several to reduce the environmental impacts. The six toll road alternatives and two non-toll road alternatives that were analyzed in the draft environmental document were chosen because they met the Collaborative’s purpose and need statement -- to help alleviate future traffic congestion and accommodate the need for mobility, access, goods movement, and future traffic demand on I-5.
Since the release of the draft document, several alignments were redesigned and adjusted to reduce environmental impacts. The final EIR identifies the 'green' alignment as the Preferred Alternative. Several federal resource agencies have made a preliminary determination that the green alignment is the ‘least environmentally damaging, practicable alternative.’
Who will make the final decision?
The Foothill/Eastern TCA Board of Directors, which oversees the Foothill (241) and Eastern (241, 261, and 133) Toll Roads, certified the final EIR and approved the alignment in February 2006. TCA is currently submitting permit applications for a number of federal and state permits and must also develop a plan of finance before construction can begin.
Officials from 15 cities and county Supervisorial districts near the 241, 261, and 133 Toll Roads are appointed to serve on the Foothill/Eastern Agency's Board of Directors. The Board makes major decisions about construction, administration, and finances affecting The Toll Roads.
Who supports the completion of the 241?
Sixty-nine percent of South Orange County residents support completing the last segment of the 241 Toll Road, according to a 2005 public opinion survey. Many elected officials and local organizations also support the completion of the 241 because it is essential to improving regional mobility. A list of Foothill-South supporters may be viewed on our website at www.ftcsouth.com/home/supporters.asp
Who opposes the project?
The Sierra Club, Surfrider Foundation, California State Parks Foundation, Native American Heritage Commission and the National Resources Defense Council are the main project opponents.
Back to top
|
