The Toll Road - Foothill-South - Newsroom

WHY THE TOLL ROAD WILL OFFER RELIEF, AT LAST
San Clemente Times
April 27, 2006
By By Jim Dahl, San Clemente City Councilman

San Clemente is a great place to live. When I moved here in 1964, San Clemente was nothing more than a sleepy little village by the sea. Times, of course, have changed. New communities like Talega have drawn more people, and more visitors are attracted to our downtown shops, restaurants and beautiful beaches.

We've all seen the effects of this growth on our city. The I-5 comes to a near standstill all too often, especially on the weekends. Far too many accidents shut down the freeway completely, causing traffic to spillover into our city streets.

Fortunately, there's some relief in sight. Plans are underway to complete the 241 Foothill-South Toll Road. The route that was approved in February is located east of the city limits and connects to the I-5 near Basilone Road. After six years of scientific analysis and collaboration with agencies including the Federal Highway Administration, U.S Fish & Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, Army Corps of Engineers, Caltrans and Camp Pendleton, it was determined that the approved alignment was best, because it avoided important wetland and native habitats, and did not remove any San Clemente homes or businesses.

Years of scientific polling show that a clear majority of San Clemente residents support extending the 241 Toll Road to Interstate 5, and it is easy to see why: First, extending the 241 to I-5 will improve city street traffic flow. Traffic engineers estimate that the number of deficient city intersections and freeway segments in San Clemente alone would be reduced from 10 to one. Intersections such as Avenida Vista Hermosa and Avenida Pico, for example, and the I-5 between Pico and El Camino Real would see significant traffic relief.

Secondly, extending the 241 to I-5 will reduce commute times. A trip between San Clemente and Oso Parkway in Mission Viejo will take one hour in 2025 if nothing is built. With the extension of the 241 Toll Road, that same trip will take only 25 minutes on I-5 and 16 minutes on the toll road.

Thirdly, extending the 241 to I-5 is important for safety. As a firefighter, I know how important mobility is to keeping out community safe. Our ability to respond to emergencies is hampered when the I-5 is shut down or gridlocked - and when the city streets are clogged. Completing the 241 would be an extremely important alternative route for emergency vehicle access and for folks who needs to get in and out of town quickly.

The extension of the 241 is designed to be sensitive to environmental concerns. In fact, engineers adjusted the alignment to the west side of the Donna O'Neill Conservancy to achieve two environmental benefits: to avoid impacts to the highly sensitive Blind/ Gabino wetlands area toward the southern end of the conservancy and to preserve wildlife connections to the east.

Some have expressed concern about Foothill-South traversing through a portion of Camp Pendleton that is leased to the San Onofre State Park. However, it's important to understand that the marines, who control the leased park area, will only allow an alignment to go through the northern-most border of the base in order to minimize impacts to training. Language in the lease agreement provides for a road like Foothill- South to be built.

It's also important to remember that the alignment does not require the removal of any campsites in the San Mateo Campground and was carefully engineered in this area to avoid endangered species like the Arroyo toad and Pacific pocket mouse.

As for the myth that the toll road will impact Trestles, the road won't come any closer to the beach than the I-5 does today. David Skelly, a hydrological expert and founding member of the Surfrider Foundation, studied the project extensively and concluded that there would be no impact to Trestles. The concern that Foothill-South will impact the amount of sand that flows down San Mateo Creek is virtually nonexistent. Skelly said the amount of sand in the San Mateo Creek that Foothill-South would impact is less than the amount of sand a person would wash off in the shower after spending a day at the beach.

Most importantly, the alignment does not require the taking of any homes or businesses. Growth may be inevitable, but traffic gridlock doesn't have to be. Foothill0South is a key piece of our transportation system that will help keep traffic moving in San Clemente and throughout South County. What hasn't changed since I moved here is the fact that San Clemente is still a great place to live. We've grown responsibly and preserved our town's character while encouraging a healthy local economy through new businesses and developments. Some things, the good things, will never change.