Foothill South

Southern Cal’s TCA toll roads agency is having a new shot at gaining federal and state agency acceptance of an alignment for the Foothill South. It is pursuing studies, hearings and the whole EIS process for permitting with three alignments, one of them completely new. The Foothill/S is expected to cost about $600 to $700m and will be 25km to 30km (16mi to 18mi) in length. The agency got local agreement on an alignment but the USEPA and Dept Interior objected, so it is starting over. The present Foothill toll road comes to an abrupt end at the Oso Parkway in Mission Viejo. It would greatly serve mobility in the south of the county to continue it as planned to join I-5 somewhere near San Clemente. The previously favored alignment had it going just inside San Diego county along the western boundary of the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base and joining I-5 southeast of San Clemente at San Onofre beach. Other alignments may put it on the western, developed, side of San Clemente. Gawd, that’ll stir up the gentry!