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Archive for the 'Foothill South toll road' Category

Freeway closures: Northbound 241 closed from Santiago to the 91

November 16th, 2008, 7:21 am by John Crandall, Staff Writer

Traffic updates courtesy of Caltrans.

  • The westbound connector of the 91 in Yorba Linda is closed to the 241 Toll Road.
  • The 91 Freeway has been reopened from the Orange-Riverside County Line to the Junction of the 71.
  • The 241 Freeway is closed to northbound traffic from Santiago Canyon to the Junction of 91 freeway.
  • For more information visit the Caltran Web site.

Posted in: 2008 Orange County Fires • Corona-Yorba Linda-Anaheim Hills Fire • Foothill South toll road • Traffic | 1 Comment »

As toll hearing goes into evening, opponents more numerous

September 22nd, 2008, 6:15 pm by Pat Brennan, green living, environment editor
Click to see a slideshow from the hearing

Click to see a slideshow from the hearing

As in the hearing before the state Coastal Commission in February, the audience in a federal hearing Monday on the proposed Foothill South toll road appeared to shift toward more opponents as the evening wore on.

After a peak of about 1,000 to 1,500 at the start of the day, when supporters and opponents seemed about even, much of the crowd trickled away, including many supporters — identifiable by their orange t-shirts — who were members of labor unions.

The opponents offered one crowd pleaser: 9-year-old Jake Marshall, of Encinitas, who explained why he opposed the 16-mile extension of the 241 toll road, which would cut through San Onofre State Beach park.

“My family and I love to spend time walking the trails, going to the beach, riding bikes, building surf shacks, and most of all, surfing,” Jake said, reading his statement. “Why are we even considering destroying a place that has been around since the beginning of time?”

He drew a loud burst of cheering and applause from the anti-toll road faction, most wearing green T-shirts.

Still, a steady stream of supporters stepped up to the microphone. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, conducting the hearing for the U.S. Commerce secretary, had screened speakers in advance and chosen the order in which they would speak.

Chip Prather, fire chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, said building the road would enhance public safety.

“The OCFA believes the extension of this road way is an important part of our community fire defense system and will aid in the movement of both emergency response assets and citizens during disaster evacuations,” Prather said.

Earlier in the day, Tony Moiso of the Moiso-O’Neill family also spoke in support of the road. But a later statement revealed a split in the family, which owns the 23,000-acre Rancho Mission Viejo. The ranch expects to build as many as 14,000 homes over the next 20 years.

The later statement was a letter read into the record from Richard J. O’Neill, also of the ranching family — but an opponent of the toll road.

“The toll road extension would plow through the Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy, 1,200 acres of land that is a key part of the San Mateo Creek watershed, and that is supposed to remain in its natural state into perpetuity,” wrote O’Neill, 85, who identified himself as the retired chairman of the Rancho Mission Viejo Board of directors.

Dan Jacobson, a member of the O’Neill Land Conservancy board and a friend of O’Neill’s, said the two men simply disagree.

“They still love each other,” he said. “It’s just a family disagreement.”

No decision was to be made during the meeting; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is just recording comments on behalf of the U.S. Commerce secretary.

Commerce is considering an appeal from the toll road builder of the state Coastal Commission’s rejection of the toll road proposal. A decision is expected no later than Jan. 7.

The meeting was scheduled to end about 8:30 p.m.

Posted in: Foothill South toll road • • • | 2 Comments »

Toll road pros and cons

September 22nd, 2008, 2:51 pm by Pat Brennan, green living, environment editor
Click on the image to see our slideshow

Click on the image to see our slideshow

After swelling to perhaps 1,500 or even 2,000, the crowd at a federal hearing on the proposed Foothill South toll road began to trickle away by midafternoon. Unlike at a state Coastal Commission hearing in February, when thousands remained into the night, there will be no decision made at this hearing: only testimony will be recorded, with a decision expected by Dec. 22.

Among the toll road supporters, most of them on the right side of the meeting room at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and identifiable by their orange T-shirts, sat Brent Praegitzer of Newport Beach, a landscape architect who is employed as part of the proposed Foothill South project.

Praegitzer said he was not asked by the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency to be at the hearing, and was in fact allowing himself to get behind on another project in order to show up.

He knew many surfers were in the audience, worried about the potential effect of the toll road on the famous Trestles surfing beach — although the toll road agency says there will be no effect. Others are worried about the toll road’s proximity to a campground at San Onofre State Beach park.

“They’re not paving over a beach, they’re not taking out a campground,” Praegitzer said. “It’s a bunch of lies. So many people have heard so many lies over the years.”

But George Brolaski, 76, of Encinitas, a doctor and a surfer, said the surfing was exactly what he was worried about. Like other opponents, he wore a green T-shirt and sat on the left side of the room.

“My son is a surfer, my grandson is a surfer,” he said. “I’m worried about what will happen. It seems like it all comes down to money. It looks like it’s all people hoping to get jobs.”

In fact, some of those who turned out in support did hope to get jobs, and were unapologetic about it.

“I’m concerned about being able to get back and forth,” said David Cordero, 39, of Riverside, a member of a carpenter’s union in an orange T-shirt. “And not only that, I hope it will create some work.”

Green-shirted Kathy Feyerabend, who has lived in her San Clemente home for 37 years, wasn’t buying any of it.

“I don’t feel we need it,” she said. “It’s going to be more development in the back country.”

While those seated listened, speakers for and against the toll road took turns at the microphone. Supporters talked about the future traffic congestion the toll road agency says the road is meant to relieve.

Orange County Supervisor Bill Campbell, along with other Orange County elected officials, spoke of a 60 percent increase along I-5 in the area by 2025.

“My constituents tell me how hard it is to drive to San Diego on Interstate 5 to visit friends and family,” he said. “They wonder the Foothill South hasn’t been built already.”

 The proposed toll road was a more immediate matter for some.

Rebecca Robles of the Acjachemen Nation, an American Indian group also known as the Juaneno Band of Mission Indians, said building the road would intrude upon a sacred site centered on Panhe, an ancient village site where she said many of her ancestors are buried and where rituals are held.

“This road would be devastating for me and my community,” Robles said. “The impacts of the toll road will have a permanent, damaging effect on our ability to practice and maintain the lifeways of our traditional community.”

Tony Moiso of the O’Neill-Moiso family, owners of Rancho Mission Viejo, spoke of the road’s potential benefits — although he said development of as many as 14,000 homes on the 23,000 acre ranch is not contingent on the road. The road would go through part of the ranch land, in his family since 1882.

“The completion of the toll road is a real answer to real problems today,” Moiso said. “There is no reasonable alternative that will solve the congestion problems of today.”

Posted in: Foothill South toll road • • • • • • | 1 Comment »

Thumbs up, thumbs down

September 22nd, 2008, 12:06 pm by Pat Brennan, green living, environment editor
Click for a slideshow of images from the hearing

Click for a slideshow of images from the hearing

As a federal hearing in Del Mar on the proposed Foothill South toll road got under way this morning, Jane Luxton, general counsel for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, tried to tame the raucous crowd by asking for silent demonstrations of their feelings.

Luxton said she would “allow you if you wish to raise your signs between speakers. Also, you can put your thumb up or thumb down while the speaker is speaking to indicate your feelings about it.”

The thumbs and signs flew on both sides — but that didn’t stop the partisans from cheering or booing loudly when each of the first few speakers finished.

Perhaps a thousand people had filtered into the hall by shortly after 11 a.m., roughly an equal amount appearing to support and oppose the toll road.

The supporters, many members of unions, wore orange T-shirts, while opponents wore green.

Luxton is conducting the hearing on behalf of the U.S. Commerce secretary, who is considering whether to overturn the rejection of the toll road proposal by the state Coastal Commission in February.

No decision will be made at today’s hearing; the Commerce secretary has until Jan. 7 to make a decision, and must find that building the road is a matter of national importance under the federal Coastal Zone Management Act. The 16-mile toll road would extend the existing 241 toll road.

“The project opponents have made many inaccurate claims,” said Tustin Mayor Jerry Amante, the first speaker. “But none is a more inaccurate claim than that completion of the 241 does not satisfy the national interest test of the Coastal Zone Management Act.”

State Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, urged that the Commerce secretary reject the road, which would cut through San Onofre State Beach park.

“This is not a road through a state park, ” she said. “This is a road instead of a state park.”

Posted in: Foothill South toll road • • • | 8 Comments »

Toll road hearing begins with dueling rallies

September 22nd, 2008, 10:37 am by Pat Brennan, green living, environment editor
Click for more images from our slideshow

Click for more images from our slideshow

Opponents and supporters of the proposed Foothill South toll road held dueling rallies outside a Del Mar Fairgrounds meeting hall an hour before the start of a federal hearing.

The U.S. Commerce secretary is considering whether to overturn the rejection of the toll road by the state Coastal Commission in February; representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scheduled a public hearing on the issue in Del Mar.

Opponents held a press conference before the hearing to announce a letter signed by 25 members of Congress urging the Commerce secretary not to overrule the Coastal Commission.

The letter also expresses concern about tight restrictions on speakers at the meeting. Speakers were required to fill out requests 10 days in advance and, the letter says, elected officials were given priority in the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s ordering of speakers.

NOAA is a branch of Commerce.

“The Save San Onofre Coalition defeated this proposal that would be extraordinarily destructive of natural and sacred resources,” Elizabeth Goldstein, president of the State Parks Foundation, said at the opponents’ rally. “We’re here to express our enormous opposition to this toll road.”

Supporters, meanwhile, many dressed in orange shirts, chanted “Toll road yes!” outside and inside the meeting hall. The chanting continued unti the meeting began.

The Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency says the road is needed to relieve future traffic congestion, and is of national importance — one of the findings the Commerce secretary must make in order to overturn the Coastal Commission’s decision.

Read our earlier stories on the toll road battle:

Posted in: Foothill South toll road • • • • • • • | 6 Comments »

150 expected to speak on Foothill South toll road today

September 22nd, 2008, 9:43 am by Pat Brennan, green living, environment editor
Trestles beach

Click for slideshow of images from the hearing

 Hundreds of supporters — in orange T-shirts — and opponents — in green – are filing into a meeting hall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds right now for a federal hearing on the proposed Foothill South toll road.

More than 600 people had asked to speak at the 10-hour federal hearing on the toll road but only about 150 will have time to speak.

Toll road builders filed an appeal with the U.S. Commerce secretary after the state Coastal Commission rejected the toll road project in February, saying it would violate the state Coastal Act, leading to today’s hearing at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. 

The appeal is allowed under the federal Coastal Zone Management Act; the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency argues that Foothill South is of national importance, especially to the western United States, because it will help relieve congestion and move goods along Interstate 5.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Foothill South toll road • • • • • • • • | 12 Comments »