Foothill Transportation Corridor

Interdisciplinary Minor in Global Sustainability

University of California, Irvine

Issue Guide: The Foothill-South Toll road

The Orange County Transportation Corridors Agency is recommending a toll road be extended through San Onofre State Beach, in order to reduce traffic congestion on the Interstate-5 freeway.

Views of proponents:

The Toll Road - Foothill-South

Brochure from the Toll Road Agency

News Releases from the Toll Road Agency:

		July 30, 2008	Consultant: Toll Road Completion Will Have No Effect on Trestles - the Orange County Register
		June 3, 2008	Editorial: Talk of the 241 toll road extension's demise are premature - the Orange County Register
		May 13, 2008	Editorial: No disaster at all - the San Diego Union Tribune
		March 31, 2008	Editorial: No lock on parks - the San Diego Union Tribune
		March 31, 2008	The Orange Grove: Feds could retaliate over toll road - the Orange County Register
		February 10, 2008	Editorial: No-growth prevails, so will gridlock - the Orange County Register
		February 8, 2008	Toll road down, not out - the Orange County Register
		January 17, 2008	Just in Time: Governor makes case for toll-road extension - San Diego Union Tribune

Views of opponents:

San Onofre State Beach is the 5th most popular state park in all of California, and according to the Parks Department, a large portion of the park (including the popular San Mateo Campground) would have to abandoned, should the toll road go through. The San Mateo watershed that feeds Trestles Beach is the most pristine watershed in Southern California. Environmentalists oppose this project because it will destroy habitat that is critical to the survival of endangered and sensitive wildlife, including the California Gnatcatcher, Pacific pocket mouse, Arroyo southwestern toad, Tidewater goby, Southwestern willow flycatcher, least Bell's vireo, Riverside fairy shrimp, California red-legged frog and the southern steelhead trout. The TCA fails to take into account the noise and visual impacts of the toll road on the recreational experience available in the treasured Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy, which was intended for future generations to enjoy. The Foothill-South will seriously worsen the quality of life in South Orange County. There are smarter, more modern solutions to Southern California's transportation problems.

Comments on: " 241 Toll road completion will have no effect on Trestles"

Point 1: The major reason stated for the Foothills Transportation Corridor (FTC)-South, is a need to reduce congestion on the I-5. The traffic analysis data does not support this claim. The data is based on the Average Daily Traffic (ADT) projected through the year 2020.

Point 2: The decrease in traffic as a result of the FTC will be insignificant, however, the impact on the local environment may be devastating and irreparable.

Point 3: The toll road may have serious detrimental effects on the biodiversity of the area. Examples:

1) The Tide Water Goby, which is an endangered species, lives in the lagoon at San Onofre. This is a unique environment which the Tide Water Goby requires to survive. The Tide water Goby requires clear water with a sandy bottom. This environment is threatened by the runoff from the toll road.

2) The Arroyo Toad is also threatened by the toll road, as these amphibians lay their eggs in the sandy bottom of the lagoon. It was listed as an endangered species in 1995, having been driven almost to extinction by a combination of habitat degradation caused by dam construction and urbanization, and predation by introduced predatory fish. The toad occurs exclusively in streams in southern California and northwestern Baja California, but has been lost from about 75 percent of its former range. Only 6 of the 22 known populations south of Ventura contain more than a dozen adults. Only eight drainages now contain viable populations, and in 1990 only seven pairs were known to have bred anywhere within the toad's range. Due to the isolation of populations and the small numbers of individuals present, most of the toad populations are at great risk of extinction. The U.S. Forest Service recently closed off 3,000 acres of the Angeles National Forest, including 17 miles of off-road vehicle trails, to protect this species. The area will remain closed until February 2003.

3) The Mountain Lion is also Threatened, as they require the open areas to hunt.

4) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must designate Critical Habitat for the Threatened California Gnatcatcher, and the proposed route of the Toll Road would eliminate some of the best areas.

Jan. 12, 2005: The TCA hears comments from 100 people

Friends of the Foothills - Orange County California - 949-361-7534

Surfrider Foundation USA Home Page

The Great Tollroad Swindle

Jan 1, 2008: Staff members of the California Coastal Commission recommend that the Commission deny approval.

Feb. 8, 2008: California Coastal Commission denies approval by an 8:2 vote.

What you can do:

Send comments to the Commerce Department:

April 24, 2008: The Transportation Corridors Agency appeals the Coastal Commission decision.

Thursday, May 22, 2008: Feds will hold hearing on 241 extension

This hearing was to be held at UCI, but it was cancelled at the last minute because the organizers thought it would attract too much attention. You could write to encourage NOAA to reschedule the public hearing

Write to:

Joel La Bissonniere
Assistant General Counsel for Ocean Services
1305 East-West Highway
SSMC-4, Room 6111
Silver Spring, MD 20910

E-mail: gcos.comments@noaa.gov

Other issue guides

Your comments and suggestions on this document are welcome. Please send them to:
Dr. Peter J. Bryant (pjbryant@uci.edu)
School of Biological Sciences
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92717, USA
Phone (714) 824-4714 Fax (714) 824-3571