Feds support Orange County Toll Roads against coastal commission radicals in Foothill South fight

The Federal Highway Administration is urging the US Secretary of Commerce to override a state coastal commission's bar to the Foothill South Toll Road (FSTR) in southern Orange County California. Under state law since the very southern end of the the toll road where it connects to I-5 is in a coastal zone the state coastal commission has to approve the construction, but federal law can override the state commission's decisions.

FHWA support for the tollroad is not surprising since the project has been through the exhaustive National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) permitting process and has gained the support of USEPA, US Army Corps of Engineers, USDOI Fish and Wildlife Service as well as the FHWA, and the Pentagon which owns the land in question.

The road has also been approved by all California agencies except the radical coastal commission and has the support of the Governor, the county and all the cities in the area, as well as having 70% plus public support.

James D Ray acting administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) says in a 9-page letter to his colleague in the federal government US Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans Conrad Lautenbacher dated May 23 that the federal government has established that there is "no reasonable alternative" to the Foothill South tollroad, "no reasonable alternative" being a term of art in the government permitting process and a direct refutation of the state coastal commissioners' claims that alternatives need more study.

Coasty radicals wanted people biking, hiking or trolleying

Most of the argument of coastal commissioners during their determinative public session earlier this year revolved around the supposed need for more detailed study of habitat for endangered species, the need to get motorists out of their cars and to support supposedly "sustainable" transport modes - issues completely outside the commission's coastal jurisdiction.

Ray says that the tollroad project is consistent with the requirements of the Coastal Zone Management Act. The affected coastal area already carries eight lanes of I-5 plus a busy Amtrak and commuter rail line, and there is a nuclear power plant nearby. The land where the tollroad is to join I-5 is part of the Camp Pendleton US Marine Corps base in an edge strip provided under short term lease to a state parks commission for use for walking trails and camping. The tollroad authority has offered to provide up to $100m for relocating and improving park facilities and putting parklands on a permanent basis.

However in a classic case of environmentalists hating cars and road mobility more than they love the environment this offer has so far been spurned.

The Feds' letter describes the collaborative process that led to the selection of the route, including the study of 43 alternative routes, to ensure that the road provides for efficient transport while minimizing adverse impacts.

The Feds letter contains these points:

"FHWA has a particular interest in this project because Southern California faces some of the worst traffic congestion and air quality in the nation and the I-5 corridor is one of the Nation’s most important transportation corridors for the movement of freight and passenger vehicles.

"I-5 is a major corridor of national significance and the severe congestion in the Southern California region makes it the area with the least ability to accommodate even temporary losses in highway capacity.

"FHWA has an independent statutory responsibility to ensure that project decisions are made in the best overall public interest, taking into account a broad set of social, environmental, and economic considerations, in addition to meeting the needs for safe and efficient transportation.

"The existing and future transportation needs affecting the I-5 corridor through the San Diego and Los Angeles regions make it imperative that steps be taken to improve the capacity and operations of the transportation system in these areas,” the letter states.

"The FHWA has also designated this corridor as having the highest national importance to interstate travel and international trade, affecting freight flows and passenger travel essential to our economy and quality of life."

BACKGROUND: The Foothill South tollroad is a 26km (16 mile) 3+3 lane expressway that will complete the Foothill Toll Road (state route 241) along the eastern fringe of Orange County California. The Foothill Toll Road presently stub-ends in Rancho Santa Margarita, and the Foothill South extension will continue it along the eastern fringe of the developed and developing areas to join I-5 just inside San Diego County.

The complete tollroad will improve mobility for southern county residents allowing them more direct connections to northeast county locations and to the eastern parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. It will provide better access to beaches and to San Diego and relieve traffic on I-5.

All permits other than coastal clearance have been obtained. Construction of the billion dollar road should begin next year.

Here is the full text of the Feds' letter:

http://www.tollroadsnews.com/sites/default/files/FHWA-FHS.pdf

TOLLROADSnews 2008-05-29