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TRAFFIC SERIES UNDERSCORES NEED FOR COMPLETION OF 241 TOLL ROAD
Poor planning, underfunding and increased cargo strain Southern California highways. The 241 Toll Road is part of the solution.
IRVINE, Calif. (June 19, 2008) – A recent four-part series in the Los Angeles Times explored the causes and impacts of Los Angeles and Orange Counties’ crushing traffic congestion. The series found that even when other options are available, the majority of commuters simply prefer the convenience of driving. The series also discussed the success of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, when a 2 percent drop in the number of cars on the road produced free-flowing roadways.
In California, transportation spending has not kept pace with population growth and development. With Los Angeles and Orange County now ranking as two of the most congested counties in the nation, the cost of solving the problem is out of reach, considering the already bursting state budget.
One solution that can be built without state funding and will pull cars off Interstate 5 is the 16-mile extension of the 241 Toll Road. The 241 will provide an alternate route to I-5 in South Orange County relieving commute time between Los Angeles and San Diego counties. It will also provide the infrastructure needed to handle residential and commercial development in south Orange County that has already been approved.
“The 241 would help address a major challenge that impacts all residents’ quality of life,” said Lance MacLean, chairman of the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency. “Having one route between two major metropolitan areas just does not make sense.”
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES SERIES
- “The population of the five-county Southern California region grew 22% from 1990 to 2006 and the total miles driven by motorists has increased about 42%. But the number of miles of highway in the region has increased by only 7.5%.”
- “Los Angeles County for the last 25 years has put three-quarters of its voter approved transportation money into rail and bus systems. Even with the investment of about $7 billion, 85% of commuters still drive.”
- “For years, elected county and city officials across Southern California have put economic development and jobs ahead of mobility, approving major commercial and residential developments without requiring builders to pay enough for improvements needed to handle extra traffic.”
- “While Orange County’s ambitious building projects have improved traffic somewhat, 67% of the county’s highways are considered congested during rush hour – the highest percentage in the region. Caltrans officials say the expanded section of the 5 will reach capacity by 2010.”
TO READ THE SERIES VISIT:
Part 1: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-trafficdayone8-2008jun08,0,1711005.story
Part 2: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-traffictwo9-2008jun09,0,4524386.story
Part 3: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-trafficdaythree10-2008jun10,0,4711880.story
Part 4: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-trafficdayfour11-2008jun11,0,7456335.story
ABOUT TCA
About 300,000 trips are taken on The Toll Roads every weekday. The Toll Roads are operated by the Foothill/Eastern and San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agencies, two 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. More info: www.thetollroads.com.
ABOUT COMPLETING THE 241
Foothill-South is the last segment of the Foothill (241) Toll Road, operated by the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency, and the final piece in Orange County’s planned 67-mile network of public toll roads. Foothill-South has been the subject of regional planning efforts for more than 20 years.
A conceptual highway alignment, then named the Foothill Transportation Corridor, was placed on Orange County’s Master Plan of Arterial Highways in 1981. The purpose of the final segment of the 241 is to provide improvements to the transportation infrastructure system that would alleviate future traffic congestion and accommodate the need for mobility, access, goods movement and future traffic demand on I-5 Freeway. The need for additional transportation infrastructure is based on population and growth projections for the next 25 years.
Since 1996, TCA has participated in a comprehensive federal environmental review process 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), Marine Corps-Camp Pendleton and Caltrans.
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